Diego Solarte

Diego Solarte HTA Junior Instructor and passed his 4th Dan promotion at the BTCB Black Belt Grading 26/27th April 2008. He has excelled himself in the Kyrugi section of the TKD and is regualrly competing in competitions with a hope of London team selections. He had recently set up an additional Junior TKD class opposite vauxhall Park on South lambeth Road in the church hall on the corner. Class times are Tuesday evenings.

DIEGO SOLARTE

I started training karate at the age of 13 in 1993 in Colombia. In 1994 my best friend Elviz Bastidas introduced me to Taekwondo by showing me an axe kick. I was amused by the beauty of Taekwondo and without thinking about it twice joined the club and took my first grading in the October 1994 with the 5th Dan Master Jorge Avendano in Colombia. I also practiced kung fu for a year from 1996 to 1997 while doing Taekwondo

I came to England in the middle of 1997. Initially I had a very difficult time because of the language problem. I met Master Azim Razak who was my first instructor in England.

I stopped Taekwondo for a while between 1997 and 1998. At the end of1998 I met Master Graham Preece and re-started training achieving

 1^{st Dan in December 2001 and thanks to Master Preece I passed easily. Following rigorous training I passed 2nd Dan in 2003, 3rd Dan in 2005 and 4th Dan in April 2008}

Following my 1st Dan grading I also started training with the London team under Master Azim Razak.

I have competed in many competitions including

The Doncaster Ultimate Taekwondo competition in 1997. I won a silver medal but that was the worse competitions I have ever had,. I got badly injured and I ended up in hospital for a day and lost my memory for a week

At the Junior National Kup Grade Championships I won a silver medal in 1994, bronze medal in 1995, a gold medal in 1996 and a gold medal in 1997

At the London Championships I won a bronze medal in 2003. a silver medal in 2004 and 2005. a gold medal in 2006 and a silver medal in 2007

I have competed in Germany at the Park Pokal hosted by Grand Master Park Soo Nam. 9th Dan

I took a silver medal at the BTCB National Championships in 2007, won bronze at the 11 UTF British International Open in 2008 and a bronze medal at the BTCB National Championships 2008

I am looking forward to competing as long as possible, and for my 5th Dan in 2012