Join AUS Squad
Back To News
When Janine Watson was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, she quickly looked for ways to keep fit and active. She was already doing gymnastics when a friend suggested she try taekwondo.
Her first exposure to the sport was at a local club and after a rocky start she was hooked.
“A friend suggested it to me, so I went to the local RSL hall and gave it a go,” Watson said.
“I was completely overweight, heavily medicated with steroids and treatments from my first lot of treatments for MS and I remember throwing up in the garden halfway through. But I went back in and just never stopped.”
It was the sport’s anchor in culture and tradition that made Watson want to pursue it longer term.
“For me, the sport is not just physical and mental but it’s also a way of life,” she said.
“Taekwondo is not just a sport or a competition, it’s a philosophy and an art form. Its teachings are something that really resonates with me.”
Watson’s neurologist wouldn’t usually recommend taekwondo for his MS patients. In fact, he was surprised Watson was able to walk and talk let alone compete in a combat sport. But it provided for Watson spiritual fulfilment, as well as the physicality to keep her in check.
“In no way at all does he (her doctor) recommend to any of his patients with as severe as MS as I have to take up the sport of taekwondo – but he says to me it’s working so keep doing it,” she said.
“There’s a lot of things you have to learn, a lot of cross hemisphere coordination, balance, so just lots of challenges that keep me active and thinking the whole time”
Buy your green and gold virtual seat and support our Paralympians
When Para-taekwondo was admitted to the Paralympic Games in 2015, there was no classification for neurological impairments, only upper limb amputees, so Watson’s Paralympic dream wasn’t a reality. She realised she could no longer spar (required in the Kyorugi discipline played at the Paralympic Games) and focused on the Poomsae discipline, in which she won three World Championships.
However, in 2018 the call was made to include the neurological impairment classification and her journey to Paralympic Games qualification began.
Watson had three weeks of training before heading to Korea for her classification and first tournament and continued to travel before gaining the Oceania qualification spot in February 2020, before Covid hit.
Watson is now finally in the Paralympic Village and her journey to becoming a Paralympian will be complete on Saturday when she makes history as Australia’s first ever Para-taekwondo representative.
Watson doesn’t let on what her internal expectations are at this event, but her coach Ben Hartmann says they are clear on what they want to achieve.
“We do have expectations,” Hartmann said.
“Our expectation is to perform at our capability. We’ve put in all the hard work and all the preparation needed to do that on Saturday so, yeah, we’re both feeling very confident but also very relaxed.
“We’re not distracted by being here, we’ve stuck to our routine, we’ve got a game plan and we’re just looking forward to executing it.”
To Watson, becoming a Paralympian indicates to herself that she has never given up.
“I had so many doors closed being the only person in Para-taekwondo with MS in the world,” she said.
“So many people have said ‘You cannot do this, it’s too dangerous for you to do this’. But, for me to be here and competing at this elite level means that people with MS can do something like this and I can show people with MS that, even though you’ve been diagnosed with this crippling disease and you’ve been told that you can’t do so many things, you just focus on what you can do and you can achieve what you want to do.”
Janine Watson will compete in the K44 +58kg class in the Para-taekwondo tournament on Saturday from 10am JPT / 11am AEST. Her first round opponent is Rajae Akermach from Morocco.
Do you want to get involved or get classified in Para-sport? We can help you get started on your Para-sport journey!
By: Jodie Hawkins, Paralympics Australia
Posted: 3 September 2021
Image: Janine Watson Instagram
