SOUTH HUNTINGTON, NY — Walt Whitman High School senior Preston Park returned from South Korea with another world championship medal.
Park earned silver while representing the United States at the 2026 World Taekwondo Poomsae Championships in Chuncheon, South Korea, adding a second World Poomsae Championships medal to a résumé that already includes four USA Taekwondo national-team selections.
The five-day world championships concluded Sept. 20 at the Air Dome in Songam Sports Town.
Park qualified for two events after earning spots on the U.S. National Team during trials in Tulsa, Oklahoma, earlier this year: mixed pair recognized poomsae and male team recognized poomsae.
His first event came Sept. 19, when Park competed alongside Anna Chang of California in mixed pair.
The pair defeated Switzerland in the Round of 32 and the Philippines in the Round of 16 before falling to Thailand in the quarterfinals. Thailand went on to win the division.
A day later, Park took the floor with Whye Jing Ong of New Jersey and David Gil of Virginia in the male team event.
"This year's World Championships was one of the most difficult competitions I have ever faced because the divisions I competed in had an exceptionally strong bracket," Park said. "I competed against athletes representing some of the world's top taekwondo nations, including Korea, Hong Kong, Chinese Taipei, China, Iran and Thailand."
Team USA defeated Spain in the Round of 32, Iran in the Round of 16 and China in the quarterfinals before beating Hong Kong in the semifinals to advance to the championship round.
There, the Americans faced host nation South Korea and finished with the silver medal.
"My teammates and I promised each other that we would give our best performances and enjoy the opportunity to compete on the world stage," he said.
The result gives Park two medals from the World Taekwondo Poomsae Championships.
He previously earned silver at the 2022 World Taekwondo Poomsae Championships in Goyang, South Korea, competing in the cadet mixed pair division.
His return to the world championships came four years later and during his senior year at Walt Whitman.
"Training every day after school is no joke," Park said. "I am going to keep challenging myself to become a better athlete — for myself and for my country, the United States."
According to his family, Park has now earned 212 medals during his taekwondo career — 121 gold, 42 silver and 49 bronze.
Thirty-eight were earned at international championships.
He has represented the United States in three taekwondo disciplines: kyorugi, or sparring; poomsae, the performance of prescribed sequences of techniques; and virtual taekwondo.
The Chuncheon appearance marked Park's fourth USA Taekwondo national-team selection.
His previous national-team appearances included the 2022 World Poomsae Championships in South Korea, the 2023 World Taekwondo Cadet Championships in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the 2024 World Taekwondo Virtual Taekwondo Championships in Singapore.
Park's family said Team USA finished the 2026 championships with two gold medals, five silver medals and 10 bronze medals.
The next World Taekwondo Poomsae Championships are scheduled for 2028 in Antalya, Türkiye.
The silver medal in Chuncheon represents another milestone in Park's career that began more than a decade ago — and another opportunity to represent both Long Island and the United States on an international stage.
Sign up for free local newsletters and alerts for the
Huntington Patch
Patch.com is the nationwide leader in hyperlocal news.
Visit Patch.com to find your town today.