Going for the gold; Representing Team Guyana, meet Taekwondo champion Justin Choy

BY JANIECE CAMPBELL

Dedicated. Hardworking. Passionate. These are all words that describe local Mississauga-born athlete, Justin Choy.

At only twenty-five years old, Justin is a high-performance Taekwondo martial arts athlete with many prestigious titles under his belt – a 10x Ontario provincial champion, a Canadian National champion, and a Pan American University champion, where he was subsequently awarded MVP.

In 2018, after achieving many coveted awards, Justin officially became a member of Guyana’s national team.

“I’ve already won internationally, nationally, and provincially for Canada, When I found out people were switching national teams, I saw a big difference. I saw great American athletes switch over to smaller countries and it brought the whole team up and they were successful. They were able to give back and inspire a whole nation and that’s what really attracted me to switch too. Guyana already has some great champions there, and it was like, why not add another one to the roster? I want to be able to have a whole nation behind me. In Canadian taekwondo, the association doesn’t really take enough care of their athletes as well. It’s kind of like cool, you won another gold. Who cares? I’ve done for my country what I’ve done, now it’s time to do something bigger.”

His choice to switch, though an easy one, came with a lot of physical and mental exhaustion. He received no funding initially, which resulted in him often training alone in a subpar gym with no real mentorship. His training regimen became intense, working out for about seen hours a day and going to work for another seven hours in between that to pay for competitions, a consistent schedule that repeated six days a week.

In 2020, he got the chance of a lifetime to attend an international training camp in Dominican Republic dedicated to preparing athletes for the Tokyo Olympic trials. Due to factors such as overtraining and being dehydrated, he ultimately tore his hamstring on the very first day. Despite his injury, Justin still courageously competed on one leg, a valiant effort but still concluded in a loss. As if it was fate, the COVID-19 pandemic soon came at just the right time and gave him the clarity and inspiration he needed.

“In my opinion, a lot of people were very defeated during the pandemic. They couldn’t train. But for me, it really did help a lot. It was like a clean slate to take my time and figure out what to do next. I looked at how to improve my mentality, fitness, and health. I really enjoyed it. I took initiative and started learning how to rehabilitate myself. I was injured. I healed myself, both mentally and physically. I don’t have anxiety anymore because I know I put myself in good hands. I put myself in the best scenario possible for success.”

Currently, Justin is working towards a diploma in Fitness and Health Promotion at Humber College, where he’s taken time to learn more about human anatomy, nutrition, and how to efficiently take care of his body to achieve success. As he is now in the best possible shape in his life, he’s proud to announce his return to the game in 2022, with his eyes set on the World Championship in China, as well as the 2024 Paris Olympics. Working alongside a strong team in Montreal with a head coach that thoroughly trusts and supports him every step of the way, Justin is the strongest he’s ever been and is completely ready to carry the nation of Guyana on his back.

“The message I want to give across to students is to never give up. I want people to not be a victim of their circumstances. There are hundreds of people out there who have this idea that “this happened to me, so I’m not cut out for it.” I believe that everyone should have a chance to take a chance on themselves. I took a chance on myself because I stood up and said that I’m not going to leave my future in the hands of others. I know who I am, I value myself, and I’m going to take care of myself and put my best into myself and everything I do. I’m not going to settle for less.”