Matt Hewson
Phill Zdybel is proud to have shared his last taekwondo World Championship podium appearance with his son, Josh.
The Australian men’s power team collected bronze at the ITF Taekwondo World Championships 2021, held in Netherlands in July 2022 thanks to COVID-19, with both Phill and Josh on the team.
Phill, 57, has competed at five World Championships since 2004 and won numerous medals in those years, but the magnitude of this latest achievement only hit home as he sat in Singapore between flights as the team travelled back to Australia.
“It didn’t click until that moment in Singapore when I thought, hold on, I don’t recall a father and son on the podium for Australia before,” Phill said.
“It was the last event, the last medal presentation on the last day. To me, this is very significant.
“It’s my last World Championships as a competitor, but my first as a father and son on the podium together. For my part, it was a good way to finish up.”
The men’s team, who had to forfeit one section of the competition due to short numbers, still managed to finish equal second with the UK on points aggregate for the board-breaking event behind gold medallist USA, but lost out in the play-off.
“It’s a team event; there are five of you, all with a technique to perform,” Phill said.
“As it turns out, we only had four, so we had to forfeit one of the events, the reverse side kick. But even though we forfeited one, we still medalled.
“To be honest, we were about two inches of boards, or four points off the gold. We finished equal second, then they declared we had to do a seven-board break for a tie-break.
“Josh was the man that got us there, he’d done a massive seven-board break with the side kick already. He stepped up, but the pressure was on and he just couldn’t do it twice. But we were all really happy we got the bronze in the end.”
Phill said he was very proud of his son and the whole team, who performed admirably under difficult circumstances.
“We had no domestic tournaments for more than two years, even into the lead up,” he said.
“Due to restrictions, financial hardship and travel reluctance, the team was a hell of a lot smaller than past Aussie teams, and one of the least experienced; five of the seven participants were attending their first ITF World Championships, Josh and I excluded.”
Phill said though he always strived to do better, Netherlands had provided a fitting end for his World Championship career.
“You always think, what more could I have done, I should have done this or that, but really, I did what I did,” he said.
“It’s just been an absolute privilege to represent Australia all those times and carry the flag into the ring, and to have this last together as father and son participating as competitors.”
