SACRAMENTO, CA (MPG) - The iYa Taekwondo Competition Team closed out its 2026 season with plenty to celebrate: 54 medals across four tournaments, four nationally ranked athletes, and a national champion headed to the season final.

 Based in Sacramento’s Pocket-Greenhaven neighborhood, the team competed against athletes from across California and the country, earning 24 gold, 13 silver and 17 bronze: the payoff for months of late nights, hard training, and steady preparation.

The season opened at the State Championship in Fresno, where 29 iYa athletes came home with 15 medals (five gold, three silver, seven bronze). At the Sacramento Invitational in Roseville, 22 competitors added 29 more: 15 gold, nine silver and five bronze.

 From there, the fields got tougher. Eight athletes made the trip to the regional tournament in Tucson, Arizona, and returned with eight medals (three gold, one silver, four bronze). Seven traveled to the National Championship in Charlotte, North Carolina, where they earned a gold and a bronze against some of the best competition in the country.

Four iYa athletes now hold national rankings in their divisions: Emily S. at No. 1, Khai C. at No. 3, Artavia E. at No. 7 and Ian C. at No. 10.

Emily S. capped her season with gold at the National Championship in the Youth 10-11 division, qualifying for the 2026 US Taekwondo Season Final this September in Little Rock, Arkansas, where she’ll represent iYa and Sacramento against the nation’s top young competitors.

Elodie L. offered a different kind of highlight. She stepped onto the floor at Nationals while working through hamstring and hip injuries: a reminder that showing up and giving your best can count for as much as any medal.

“This season showed what our students can do when they put in the work,” said Head Coach and owner Xai Lor. “The medals and rankings are wonderful, but what I’m proudest of is how they carry themselves, on the floor and off it.”

 At iYa, competition is only part of the point. Students learn to keep their composure under pressure, take wins and losses in stride, set goals and cheer on their teammates: lessons that follow them home, to school and around the community.

 And none of it happens alone. The season belongs just as much to Poomsae Coach Jayson Matsurra, the assistant coaches and the parents who traveled to Fresno, Roseville, Tucson and Charlotte and cheered from the stands.

 Fifty-four medals, four ranked athletes and a national champion later, it’s a season the team won’t soon forget, and they’re just getting started.

 iYa Taekwondo welcomes new students of all ages. This Sept. 14-18 is our 15th Anniversary Open House. To learn more or schedule a class, visit iyatkd.com or call 916-382-9058.