World stage awaits for Taekwondo ace

"I was super excited to be selected, I felt relieved because all the hard work I put in had paid off. I feel a little nervous now, because there's a lot of pressure on me, but I'm really excited to go to Korea," he told Inner West Review.

Being able to represent Australia in the World Poomsae Championships is a dream come true for Harrison, who started competing when he was 6.

"At age 2 I was diagnosed as being on the spectrum and my therapist told my mum that doing group sports might be a challenge for me, so she enrolled me in my first Taekwondo class when I was 4," said Harrison.

"Taekwondo has helped me so much, in terms of my skills and my confidence, and really helped make me the person I am today."

The biennial World Poomsae Championships is one of the biggest events on the Taekwondo calendar. This year's competition in April is expected to draw around 2000 athletes and officials from 70 countries.

Harrison was selected to compete in the Under-17s division for individual Freestyle Poomsae. In this discipline, taekwondo moves are choreographed and set to music and the more technical and precise a move is, the more points it will earn.

"There are a few rules to start off with, but once you get your mind around them you can start making your own routine and it's a lot of fun," said Harrison.

"I'm working on my power, speed and my acrobatic movement and getting some help from my coach to come up with new choreography."

Between school and training five days a week, Harrison still finds time to share his love of Taekwondo with others as an instructor at the Australian Martial Arts Academy in Marrickville where he trains.

"AMA is such a great place, I love teaching here, it's almost like my second home. It's an honour teaching these kids and watching them grow".

Hakan Manav, or 'Master Hakan', has been training Harrison since he was five. He said he's "incredibly proud" of Harrison and that it was "consistency, dedication and focus" that got him to where he is today.

"He's a hard working student. He's the pure epitome of hard work over talent. He wasn't necessarily the most naturally gifted student but look at where he is today. It's a great lesson for everybody," he said.

Harrison's mum Emma Benn said getting to this point has been "a long, hard road", and financially challenging for her as a single mother in the beginning.

"But I am so proud of him ... Harrison's always been one who, if he doesn't succeed, gets right back up and tries again."

With little in the way of funding and sponsorships for Taekwondo, Ms Benn said the inner west community has been very supportive, with a GoFundMe page for the trip raising $4000 so far.

"I'm really grateful for all the people who have helped us," she said.

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