At the “World Masters Games” held in Taiwan this past May, a Taiwanese-American Taekwondo athlete became the center of attention. 44-year-old Justin Wang swept both gold medals in the individual and team events for Taekwondo forms. This athlete, who majored in music since childhood, had a weak physique and once saw sports as a daunting path, how did he embark on the journey of Taekwondo and dedicated nearly 25 years of hard work to it?
Justin Wang, who was born and raised in Taiwan, was a music student in his childhood, focusing on piano and electronic keyboard, and also participated in the choir. Sports were almost entirely unfamiliar to him. However, fate took a turn when he was 15 years old. A weak and bookish-looking Wang was bullied on the bus, which made him determined to strengthen himself for self-defense. “Actually, I just didn’t want to get beaten up anymore,” he recalled with a smile.
From a student who was completely clueless about sports to someone who tirelessly self-studied stretching and splits, Justin Wang showed remarkable perseverance. After immigrating to the United States with his family at the age of 16, he actively sought out dojos, transitioning from Karate to Taekwondo and embarking on systematic training.
Unlike most athletes who start training from a young age, Justin Wang officially entered the dojo at the age of 16. Initially, he was the “oldest and least skilled” student in the dojo, but this did not discourage him. Instead, Wang turned this disadvantage into motivation. “I had to start everything from scratch, but because I was older, I knew why I was learning and what I wanted to learn, so I progressed quickly.” Through hard work and persistence, Wang was selected for the U.S. national team for the first time at the age of 28, participating in the World Forms Championships.
“That was a turning point in my life.” Although his achievements came later, Justin Wang’s many years of effort finally paid off. “I just started 10 years later than others, but it took the same 10 years to achieve my goals.”
From 2009 to the present, Justin Wang has been selected for the U.S. Taekwondo national team 12 times, participating in 6 World Forms Championships. He stated that Taekwondo is the second largest sport in terms of learning population globally, second only to soccer, with countries actively investing resources, especially South Korea, Taiwan, and Southeast Asia, being strong regions. In the early days when the Forms event was still in its infancy, American athletes often fell behind in competitions against Asian athletes, “but we have always been catching up.”
Unlike Taekwondo “sparring” events that are divided by weight, Taekwondo “forms” are mainly grouped by age, allowing athletes over 40 to continue competing. “After the age of 30, it’s about who ages slower, who can sustain longer, it’s an endurance battle.” Justin Wang explained that Forms is a competition format that emphasizes standard movements and coordination, so the age grading system for Forms allows many athletes to continue their sporting careers even after their peak.
Taekwondo originated in South Korea and became an official Olympic competition in 2000. In the early years, the Korean team dominated the Forms field, but as the global standard has risen, the gap between athletes from various countries has gradually narrowed. Justin Wang encourages young athletes to balance academics and sports, emphasizing that his full dedication to Taekwondo is not the only way to success, as luck and support from family are also crucial factors.
Regarding his way of gradually giving up academics to practice Taekwondo, Justin Wang said he is a special case. He does not encourage students to replicate this path, but often reminds them, “Take care of academics first.” Besides fully communicating with his parents and receiving family support, he also overcame many hardships and completed basic education.
Participating in the World Masters Games was a “dream come true” journey for Justin Wang. The competition format of the World Masters Games allows team members to form international teams, and Wang teamed up with two Taiwanese athletes, fulfilling a dream of cooperation that had been elusive in formal competitions for years.
“This competition means a lot to me,” Justin Wang said, returning to Taiwan where he was born and raised, teaming up with past Taiwan representative teams, whom he used to compete against internationally, gave him a sense of participating in a “reunion.” These old friends in the international sports world, sweating and showcasing their skills at the World Masters Games, seemed to make winning or losing less important.
“Of course, we still want to win,” but he expressed that the opportunity to collaborate with past competitors is more precious. From a weak and bookish student who started training to improve physical fitness to winning gold for the United States, Justin Wang, with his spirit of “perseverance till the end,” has become a Taekwondo coach with students all around. He not only crowned himself in life but also encourages all young people not to give up on their dreams and to forge ahead.