By Peter Howe
At just 13 this month’s Don Deeble winner, Louis Kaing, is a two-time national and three-time state taekwondo champion.
He has just returned from the 2025 World Cadet Championships in Fujairah, United Arab Emirates, after securing a place on the Australian Cadet Taekwondo team.
Perhaps you’d be thinking that at Kaing’s age he might get ahead of himself.
That couldn’t be further from the truth.
“It was a good experience, but I didn’t get the result I wanted,” he said. “I learned that I need to plan better, improve my mind set for future tournaments.
“I need to control my nerves.”
Kaing will get that chance when he travels to the Korean Open with the Victorian team in July.
The youngster followed his brother Theodore into the sport.
“I love the combat involved in the sport,” he said.
“I tried basketball and swimming but didn’t get the same buzz from those sports. Even now swimming is an important part of my training program to help me improve my fitness and to relax.”
Kaing trains at Convergence Combat Sports in Oakleigh, coached by Tom Burns.
He was four years old when he started to learn the movement required to rise through the ranks in the sport.
“It looked cool and I loved doing those crazy kicks,” Kaing said.
Standing at a mere 148 centimetres and weighing in at 33 kilograms, Kaing has needed to become very resilient and positive to spar and become a champion.
“I train four times a week for two hours at a time,” he said. “Training consists of a warmup and stretching and some light sparring and then we go into technique work and heavier sparring.
“Two nights a week we also have strength and conditioning sessions which include running, push ups, squats and other core strengthening exercises.”
Kaing had his first official fight as an eight-year-old.
It was something different for him.
“I lost that fight, it was a really scary experience coming up against someone with more experience and who wanted to win as much as I did,” he said. “ I was very disappointed I lost, but I had fun and wanted to do it again.”
Kaing’s older brother, Theodore, is also a national champion and has represented Australia. According to their father, David, both boys are very competitive.
“Thankfully they don’t get into combat at home,” David said.
Kaing’s hero is American CJ Nickolas, an American champion and Olympian.
“What I like most about him is his attacking style and his ability to stay calm in a fight, two skills I want to learn and improve in my fight,” he said.
Kaing’s journey has been marked by resilience.
After overcoming significant adversity, including being unable to compete for more than eight months, his passion and dedication to taekwondo have driven an impressive return to competition. Achieving selection for the national team was something he put down to determination and commitment.
“My goal is to be the best I can be,” he said. “I will try hard every time I compete to ensure I get better results next time.”
The Don Deeble Sports Star Award is sponsored by the Yarraville Club Cricket Club, Strathmore Community Bank, the Deer Park Club, Ascot Vale Sports and Trophies and Star Weekly Newspapers.
If you would like to nominate a monthly winner or attend a dinner, contact wrsportsclub@gmail.com or sms 0408 556 631.
