Blessed Sacrament student competes in international martial art competition

Sarah Whittenburg, an eighth-grade student at Blessed Sacrament Catholic School in Sandy, placed 5th in pairs poomse (synchronized forms) at the 2011 Hanmadang World Taekwondo Festival in South Korea, an international event for Taekwondo practitioners. Taekwondo is a Korean martial art. The competition was held Aug. 9-13 under the direction of the Kukkiwon Federation at the Namyangju Sports Center in Incheon, South Korea. There were more than 3,700 participants from around the world with a total of 52 competitions in 11 different events. Whittenburg was part of the United States National Team that comprised of 44 members from all over the U.S. Team USA brought home 17 medals: six gold, one silver and 10 bronze. During the four-day festival, participants and visitors were able to learn more about Taekwondo, had a chance to savor local food specialties, and joined others in a variety of cultural programs.