16 year old Kiriwina lass from PK Taekwondo Australia, has taken out the title for the 46kg Female Division in the National Taekwondo Championships and has earned a spot in the Taekwondo Team to represent Papua New Guinea (PNG) at the Pacific Games. Yvette, from Milne Bay, went up against Port Moresby based Rahab Loi from Xtreme Club and won the match to secure the spot. Yvette flew in from Australia to participate in the 46kg Female Junior and Senior Divisions and won all her fights. Her mother and Coach, Pauline Boyama, said that Yvette took up Taekwondo when she was 12 years old and has come a long way in the 4 years training and taking part in competitions. “Our preparations have been very busy, she trains hundreds of hours, she is very dedicated to her Taekwondo career and she loves fighting,” said the coach. “We always go step by step because Taekwondo is a very physical sport, you can always get injuries and it can set you back, but our first and foremost goal is to get to the Pacific Games.” Yvette is currently in Grade 12 and she has been balancing school and Taekwondo and so far it has been a good journey for her. Last year Yvette competed in the Junior World Championships where she represented Papua New Guinea in Bulgaria. She had lost in the first round; however, it was a good experience for her to be able to compete against world champions. Yvette is the current Taekwondo Champion for 46kg Division in Queensland, Australia. Meanwhile, the team manager for Xtreme Taekwondo Club said that Rahab was very happy to have gone up against Yvette as it was her first time to fight with an international fighter. She has gained confidence and will be taking a lot home from the fight. There will be 8 males and 8 females who will be chosen to be part of the Taekwondo Team for Team PNG. The National Taekwondo Championships took place over the weekend at the Sir John Guise Indoor Stadium.