Bachelor of Science student-athlete Saffron Tamby-Rajah has taken out gold in 2022 at the Oceania Taekwondo Championships. This makes her the current Oceania champion in the women's under 49-kilogram category and on the fast track to represent Australia in the Paris Olympics in 2024.
After earning gold in the 2019 Samoa Oceania Championships, Saffron was widely favoured leading into the 2022 Tahiti Oceania Championships after again taking gold in the Presidents Cup qualifying competition.
When asked what her plans were after becoming Oceania champion this year, Saffron, the current world number 18 ranked fighter, commented, ‘A long-term goal of mine is to qualify for Paris 2024, but my most immediate focus is to compete in the 2023 World Championships held in Azerbaijan.’
‘Having the opportunity to go up against world champions gives me a better understanding of my capabilities and enables me to consolidate what I need to improve on going forward.’
Initially from Perth, Saffron relocated to Melbourne once she completed high school to pursue her studies at Melbourne University while taking up training full-time at the Victorian Institute of Sport (VIS).
In 2018 Saffron was invited to partake in a newly established high-performance hub for taekwondo run by the Combat Institute (TCI) in conjunction with the VIS. The hub's purpose was to create an environment where high-performing athletes can support each other while receiving guidance from successful international taekwondo coach Seokhun Lee.
As an elite athlete, Saffron is a part of the Melbourne University Elite Athlete Program (EAP), which helps to support her studies while competing in her sport at an elite level.
‘Access to the university’s gym enables me to fit training in around my studies more efficiently. It’s really comforting to know the university values my sporting endeavours and wants to help me succeed in both my sporting and academic pursuits. Weekly check-ins from the head of EAP, Brendan Parnell, help me feel as though I am valued and in the loop with what is happening at the university.’’
The support Saffron has received from the University and the coaches at the taekwondo high-performance hub have enabled her to thrive in the sport, simultaneously chipping away at her degree one unit at a time.
