From the Blitz magazine archive. First published on blitzmag.net when the site was the online home of Blitz Australasian Martial Arts Magazine; restored from an archived copy dated 2014-08-05. Words credited to Bianca Baliviera in the original.
Carmen Marton become the first ever Aussie to win gold at the World Taekwondo Championships in 2013. Here, she chats with Blitz about her experience at the tournament, her training, and what it’s like to make Australian taekwondo history.
Carmen Marton – World Champion
Carmen, how does it feel to be the first ever Australian to win gold at the Taekwondo World Championships?
It feels pretty incredible. Sometimes it’s hard to believe that my dreams have come true, but I’m incredibly proud and just overwhelmed! It’s finally happened after so many years of hard work — 14 years of some pretty tough competitions and some even tougher times, but it’s all been worth it.
What was running through your mind when you shot out the winning spinning hook-kick to your Korean opponent in the final round?
Well, actually, absolutely nothing was running through my mind! It was purely being in that moment and just reacting. Knowing I had the right distance, I threw out the kick and it worked, so it was a special moment. Doing such a kick in the final seconds was a blur; I can’t remember landing it but I do remember looking up at the scoreboard and being so happy.
Can you describe your typical week of training in the lead-up to this competition?
A typical week would be two 2-hour sessions a day and throughout the week there would be technical training twice a week as well. Tactical training would be two-to-three times a week, including two strength and conditioning sessions during the week in the morning, and a sprint session, which was more about pushing the conditioning and really trying to work the fitness.
As we got closer to the tournament, there was also altitude training at the Victorian Institute of Sport and The New South Wales Institute of Sport. We added that in at the end of the usual two-hour sessions, and it would consist of half-an-hour-to-an-hour on the bike in a climate chamber.
Would you ever make time for rest and relaxation?
Maybe one day off during the week. When I was training up in Sydney, we would usually have the Sunday off and when I was in Melbourne, usually a Wednesday. So there would be time made for a break, depending on how close we were to a tournament. Sometimes there would only be time for half a day off. It also came down to whether there was any injury; even if there was some smallish kind of pain, I may have taken the day off to make sure we weren’t pushing it, [and were] looking after it and not becoming too fatigued.
As much as you can plan your training, things come up and you just have to adapt along the way, tweaking your program as you go.
Is there one food you love to indulge in?
I’ve got a really big weakness for Red Rock Deli salt and vinegar chips. It’s those ones in particular! I struggled to cut them out about a week before the fight, so it’s definitely my comfort food. Otherwise, I stick to a healthy diet, and I want to. It really is so important to support your body with the right foods to make sure you’re getting the most out of your training. But there are always some things that are a bonus you can treat yourself to.
Even as a taekwondo junior, you were no stranger to achieving international benchmark results. How would you compare your 2001 experience at the Junior Asian Championships to your most recent title victory in Mexico?
Mentally you evolve, because as a junior you tend not to over-think things too much but instead just go through the process. As a senior fighter, you tend to hesitate and think about things, so it’s important to just focus and make it simple again, which is what I aimed to do throughout the World Championships.
Physically, I felt really prepared for Mexico, more so than I ever have before, in terms of pushing myself with conditioning. As someone who doesn’t really like conditioning training, I really enjoy fighting but I knew I wanted to be a complete fighter and that required things like strength and conditioning. So I really pushed myself in that area, and I feel like I am and still trying to become a more well-rounded athlete, not just focusing on the fighting but also getting as fit as I can. A healthy body comes with putting a lot more hours into the mental aspect, working with a sports psychologist behind the sport as well. So you really just start to address every single area that you can, so no stone is left unturned.
Where did your TKD journey begin and who had the most significant influence on your training as a junior?
When I first started taekwondo as a junior, it was my father who had the most influence on me from a young age. He, and my siblings, have been a really solid foundation. In terms of technique, my father drilled it into us, over and over again, and we would do extra sessions at home with him, between classes as well.
As much as we didn’t want to do it and would complain about it, he just wanted to make sure we understood that a little extra is always required to do well. Once that foundation is set, it’s just about building on your skills, challenging yourself in different areas of training and growing from there.
Taekwondo is very much a family affair for you, with your brother, Jack, sister, Caroline, and fiancé, Safwan Khalil, all competing at an international level. How do you manage supporting each other through each of your successes and failures?
It’s the best just having them around and the fact that we’re able to support each other through whatever times there are. I’m really fortunate to have that and we make a really good team. At this point in our careers, now that we’ve all been competing for so long, we understand the rollercoaster and how this all works. We understand that we’re not always going to win at the same time, we take it in turns at different tournaments but we’re all trying to peak at the benchmark events.
In an ideal world, we’d all love to get a medal but we know it doesn’t work that way. I believe that my siblings and partner will have their days in due time. We love sharing around the success; we try picking each other up and making each other laugh. It’s also important that we talk a lot openly about whatever might be bothering us. Even though the high times might not go for that long, we all take it on the chin and start working towards the next goal.
How have each of your coaches influenced and assisted you over the years? Did each of them bring something different to the table in helping you reach your goals?
They have all influenced me a lot and they’ve definitely each had a different part in my training and development. Because different coaches focus on different areas, you gain a different perspective on all the aspects of the sport and I’m very fortunate to have that, because not all clubs have access to such great coaches like that. Alf [Dell’Orso] has always been very tactical and I’ve learnt a lot from him. I work really well with him, and Ali [Khalil] has a very similar style, which helps me a lot in the fights themselves to be a more tactical fighter. Lydia [Zakkas] is always pushing me with my technical skills, getting me to try more challenging kicks like the kick to the face that I threw in the final round at the Worlds. That kick was probably practised a thousand times over with Lydia, if not more. At 7:30 in the morning, she’d be yelling at me lovingly to kick over and over again so I could develop strong kicking instincts for the fight.
Andy [Andrew Rozinszky] has always been an expert on how to use the mat sections effectively, and how to move the most effectively. And his father, Mr Jack Rozinszky, who built the club, he is the pioneer. He just created a really good culture and I go to him just to hear about wisdom on sport, but also in life. That has helped me throughout my life and in my career enormously. Everyone else has played such a big part in their own way, which I really am fortunate to be able to experience.
What are your goals for the future? Do you have the 2016 Olympics in your sights?
I would definitely like to qualify for the Olympic Games. Our Olympic qualifications start at the end of this year, so the time is coming up to start accumulating world-ranking points. And I’ve already done it once, but I’d love to win the World Championship again, as painful as that day was emotionally and psychologically. I’d love to be able to try and get into that right state again, to show that Australia can do it for a second time! I really hope more and more athletes from Australia are on the podium so we can start showing the world that we’re among the best in the world!
More restored features are listed in The Blitz Archive.