North Lakes competitor Evan Han placed second at the Oceania Taekwondo Championships, held in New South Wales following the March 28 event in Liverpool, competing in the Cadet Male -41kg division. He finished behind Brayden Zhu, with Benjamin Banh and Roy Ahn sharing third place.
Han earned his place at the championships through the selection trials, where he came through five fights in a single day to secure a podium finish and qualify for the Australian team. At the Oceania event, he finished second in his division after a close loss in the deciding bout.
North Lakes Preparation Leads Into Titles
Han’s silver medal followed his result at the Sunshine Coast Open in early March, where he won gold in the Cadet -41kg division and was named Best Male Athlete.
That event served as his final preparation before competing at the Oceania Championship in Liverpool on March 28. His qualification campaign had also seen him finish third at the trials last month, securing his place at the international event after progressing through multiple bouts in one day.
While Han competed in Liverpool, his North Lakes-based club recorded strong results at the Australian Taekwondo Queensland State Open at Brendale.
PK Taekwondo secured the Overall Kyorugi Club Championship, along with the Male and Female Kyorugi club titles. In sparring, the club collected 36 gold medals, nine silver and one bronze.
In poomsae, athletes added five gold medals and two bronze, contributing to a broad medal haul across divisions.
Han’s silver medal follows his earlier gold medal and Best Male Athlete award at the Sunshine Coast Open in March. It also comes alongside the club’s multiple titles and medal results at Brendale, marking a strong period for the North Lakes-based program.
Evan Han of North Lakes-based PK Taekwondo has secured his place on the Australian team for the 2026 Oceania Taekwondo Championships after winning a bronze medal in the Cadet -41kg division at the Junior World and Oceania Championship Team Selections in Sydney.
Han came through five fights in a single day at the selections event to earn his team berth, a physically and mentally demanding feat that underlines just how competitive the pathway to an Australian singlet is. His third-place finish in the Cadet -41kg division was enough to lock in his place on the squad heading to the championships on 28 and 29 March.
That result carries real weight. The 2026 Oceania Taekwondo Championships is a World Taekwondo-sanctioned G-4 event, placing it among the most significant regional competitions on the international taekwondo calendar. The championships take place at the Whitlam Leisure Centre at 90A Memorial Avenue, Liverpool, in Sydney.
A Club with a Long Record of Producing Champions
Han’s selection continues a strong run for PK Taekwondo, the North Lakes club that has operated from Unit 4/9 Flinders Parade since becoming a full-time centre in January 2021. The club runs under Kukkiwon standards and holds affiliations with World Taekwondo, World Taekwondo Oceania, Australian Taekwondo and Australian Taekwondo Queensland, and has produced medallists at local, state, national and international levels of competition.
Han’s competition record at the club stretches back several years. At nine years old, he won a bronze medal in the 10-11 Years Black Belt 25-28kg division at the Australian National Championships held at Nissan Arena in Brisbane, with Head Instructor Master Kangho Park leading the coaching team. He also claimed a gold medal in the World Taekwondo Oceania online flying side kick competition, part of a 36-medal haul PK Taekwondo amassed across state and Oceania competitions. More recently, competition records from the 2024 National Championships confirm Han competing for PK Taekwondo at national level.
Photo Credit: PK Taekwondo
That consistency across age groups and competition levels reflects what the club aims to build in its athletes from an early age.
Jeffrey Park Goes Deep at Junior World Championship Selections
Han was not the only PK Taekwondo athlete to make an impression at the Sydney selections. Clubmate Jeffrey Park reached the quarter-finals of the Junior World Championship selections in the Junior -55kg division before his run ended against the eventual gold medallist. Park has been among PK Taekwondo’s established competitors, winning gold medals at both the ATQ Open and World Taekwondo Oceania online competitions in earlier seasons.
Park’s progress to the quarter-finals of a national selection event against the field’s eventual winner points to the depth PK Taekwondo continues to develop across weight categories and age groups.
What the Oceania Championships Represent
For any Australian taekwondo athlete, making the national team for a World Taekwondo-sanctioned Oceania Championships represents a significant step in the sport’s high-performance pathway. The Oceania Taekwondo Union governs the sport across the region and oversees championships that bring together competitors from across the Pacific, with the 2026 event one of the region’s flagship competitions for the season.
PK Taekwondo operates elite sparring and poomsae classes specifically for registered competitors, alongside its broader community programmes, providing the structured training environment that produces athletes capable of competing at this level. Head Instructor Master Kangho Park coaches the competitive team, with Pauline Boyama also serving as coach at national events.
Follow Evan Han and PK Taekwondo
The 2026 Oceania Taekwondo Championships take place on 28 and 29 March at the Whitlam Leisure Centre, Liverpool, Sydney. Families wanting to follow PK Taekwondo’s competitive squad or enquire about training programmes can visit pktkdaus.com or find the club at Unit 4/9 Flinders Parade, North Lakes. Registration and event details for the championships are available here.
