PALACE Martial Arts continue to reach new heights, with two local members returning from overseas with medals.

Stephanie Farquharson and Will Sweeney returned from the Kukkiwon Cup in Auckland with a gold and bronze medal, while Aisha Hendriks and Master Muhktar Kadiri also travelling to be a judge at the tournament.

Farquharson competed in the division two black belt and got through to the gold medal round, eventually claiming victory, while Will Sweeney finished third in the red belt division.

Aisha Hendriks competed in division one black belt, and while she missed out on a medal, she competed strongly.

Farquharson said it was a great time away with each other, and was a positive learning experience.

“We had a good time, everyone stuck together really well,” she said.

“We had a bit of time to go and explore, and we also were able to go down to the stadium and sit down and watch, usually we are rushing around but we were able to sit down and have a look at how the stadium was set up.”

The format meant it was fast-paced, with no room for any mental lapses.

“It is scoring, so the one round and best score wins,” Farquharson said.

“If you lose, you are out and the winner moves on.”

The promising results should help boost confidence for the trio, with Sweeney particularly impressive in his first competition abroad.

“It was my first time competing overseas, I was pretty nervous,” he said.

“I was hoping I would come back with a medal, but just to go there and have fun and enjoy the experience.

The 12-year-old started doing taekwondo when he was five years old and said he was looking forward testing himself out again soon.

“Hopefully I can go overseas again,” he said.

“A huge thanks to Muhktar for letting me go over there and to the support from everybody.”