Biput shines at National Taekwondo tourney

Last weekend, Biput was adjudged the Best Junior Male and Best Overall Fighter at the National Taekwondo Championships, which took place under the auspices of the Trinidad and Tobago Taekwondo Federation at the East Mucurapo Secondary School.

During a telephone interview yesterday, Biput said that he is aspiring to compete in the “World Championships, Olympics and CAC Games.” And the 16-year-old Fifth Form student of Fatima College will be making a small step towards his goals when he graduates to the seniors level next year.

Reflecting on last weekend’s accomplishments, Biput, a member of the Sankar’s Taekwondo School in Petit Valley admitted, “I didn’t really expect (them).” He acknowledged that his aspiration was “just to impress because they (coaches) told me there (was) a newcomer from Canada who wants to represent Trinidad. So I just wanted to impress my team.” As far as his life is concerned, particularly balancing schoolwork and taekwondo, Biput admitted, “it’s challenging but I’m slowing down now because of exams (O’Levels).” He continued, “I train six times a week, but the training suits my timing. I train in the morning but the training at nights is late so I do my homework in the afternoons.” Biput said he got involved in the sport while at Holy Rosary Preparatory School in Port of Spain.

“Comparing local competitors to the foreign ones, Biput stated, “overseas (fighters are) more difficult. In Trinidad it’s difficult to travel because of money but in the States, there are competitions every month.” His father John, one of his biggest fans, spoke of the support that Stefan gets from his family.

“Parents generally are supportive in their own way,” he said.

“What they do is make sure that they go training, leave them there and come back in time to pick them up. What I do different, in my humble opinion, is that I drop him in training, (leave) and come back an hour or 40 minutes before they’re finished to see what’s going on.

“When they finish and we travel home, we might discuss how training went, what he did better, what he (needs) to do better, stuff like that. So the conversation is always there but for me to participate, I have to be there to see how the training is going.” With regards to the family life, John Biput said, “my wife and three boys, we support each other in different (aspects). My eldest son (Christophe) plays football recreationally and my other son (is) more (into) tech so he’s involved with playing with the computer and phones.

“Generally we are a closely-knit family,” he continued. “We try to give each other their space and time, and their recognition as time goes on.” The elder Biput also extended his gratitude towards the work done by the coaches at Sankar’s Taekwondo School, particularly former national champ Cheryl-Ann Sankar.