Combined team throws weight behind Edwards’ Rio bid

Gleaner Writer

JAMAICA's combined martial arts team has thrown its sponsorship weight behind Kenneth Edwards as the London 2012 Olympian prepares for World Taekwon-Do Federation (WTF) qualifiers ahead of the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Edwards has been busy on the WTF circuit this season, competing in Florida at the US Open in January, February's Canada Open in Toronto and March's Mexico Open in Aguascalintes.

Jason McKay, who manages Jamaica's combined team confirmed that an agreement was reached late last year with the Jamaica Olympic Association (JOA) and Jamaica Taekwon-Do Federation to partner in Edwards' preparation.

The Ningen Karate star's historic qualification for London 2012 was funded by Jamaica's combined martial arts team, which subsidised his travel and overseas training.

Edwards said 2015 will be geared towards preparing for Rio 2016, his second shot at Olympic glory after bowing out in London during the 80kg preliminary round against China's Liu Xiaob.

"It will be all about qualifying for Rio. I recently got a scholarship from the International Olympic Committee, through the Jamaica Olympic Association, to aid in my preparations. It's a monetary scholarship to cover my monthly expenses," he explained.

In addition, Mighty Fist, which recently endorsed the combined martial arts team, will also be a sponsor of Edwards during his quest to qualify for Rio.

"I am grateful for the scholarship as well as my new sponsor, Mighty Fist. I am very honoured to be a recipient of both," he said, hailing the new spirit of cooperation between the combined team and JTF as "a good direction in which martial arts is heading".

Edwards lost in the quarter-finals of the US Open and was third at the Canada Open. In Mexico, he also lost in the quarter-finals. However, his quarter-final finish made him the only male member of the team to qualify for September's 2015 Pan Am Champs in Mexico.

His next tournament will be the May 12-18 WTF World Championships in Chelyabinsk, Russia.

"I am working on decreasing my ranking to make the WTF Grand Prix. I am now ranked 32nd in the world (-87kg) and preparations are going well," he said.