INDIANAPOLIS — Former U.S. Taekwondo Team captain and 4-time National sparring champion Garth Cooley added another gold medal to his career resume after winning his division at the 1st WT World Cup Poomsae Championship in Wuxi, China.
Cooley, competing in the Male Under 60 category, was among seven of 46 athletes in the U.S. delegation to win a gold medal. The United States placed second overall in the inaugural event August 21-23, which drew 200 competitors from twenty countries.
Cooley, the most tenured member of the U.S. National Poomsae Team, is the only active world medalist to have served as team captain of both U.S. national teams in poomsae and sparring. As former U.S. Team Captain, he also has represented the United States at eight world poomsae championships. Cooley has been the master instructor and owner of Korea Taekwondo Academy (KTA) in Indianapolis for more than two decades.
Earlier this summer, Cooley was recognized by the Kukkiwon — the World Taekwondo headquarters in Seoul, Korea — when he received his 8th degree black belt certification. This rank recognizes Cooley globally as an official Grand Master in taekwondo.
Cooley’s training partner, Donald Cottee was the only other athlete from Indiana in the U.S. delegation. Cottee, the master instructor and owner of KTA-Northwest, earned a silver medal in the Male Under 65 category.
