Legacy Martial Arts students clinch world Taekwondo championships

QUINCY — Four local Legacy Martial Arts students brought home the coveted title of world champion after competing last week in the American Taekwondo Association Tournament of Champions.

Students earn the opportunity to compete for the championship title by being ranked in the top ten in the world for their division within the ATA. With 28 countries represented and over 25,000 individuals competing throughout the world in the 2022-2023 competition season, it is an incredible accomplishment.

Earning world champion for a total of five titles were:

• Anna Lee Bentley — Creative Weapons and Extreme Weapons
• Jen Bradshaw — Creative Weapons (defending her title from 2022)
• Debbie Shierling — Team Sparring
• Greg Shierling — Team Sparring

Also competing on the world stage from Quincy were Gabriel Bentley, Kiley Buettner, Ryan Collins, Eli Combs, Faith Clevenger, Bree Hunter and Peyton Robbins.

In a press release, Legacy owner and chief instructor Robert Bentley said, “This is the third year in a row we’ve had students from Quincy win world titles. Since we opened in 2011, Legacy has now earned 22 total taekwondo world titles. I am so happy for my students when they win, but what I’m most proud of is the hard work they put in to achieve it. Everyone celebrates the results, but I celebrate the growth our students achieve along the way.”

For Legacy Martial Arts, these world titles were the icing on the cake for a successful tournament season. This year Legacy had:

• 36 State Champions who earned a total of 97 State Champion Titles
• 9 Mid-America District Champions who earned 15 District Champ Titles and
• 14 World Tournament of Champion Qualifiers

The school also earned the opportunity to host a regional tournament for the entire ATA back in February of this year that had over 600 competitors from all over the nation. They will host another tournament again in March 2024 that is expected to be even larger.

“We are so grateful for the opportunity to shine a light on Quincy through tournaments and our success in competing. We know what a gem this city truly is and we are proud to help put it on the map in our industry,” added Bentley.