Summit Martial Arts athletes compete at ATA World Championships

MASON CITY, Iowa - Three taekwondo athletes from Summit Martial Arts in Mason City competed in the World Championships just last week. 

Faith, Jen, and Zain were in Arizona last week for the ATA World Championships. 

To get there, the athletes had to get points throughout the season to qualify or win a district tournament. 

There are eight different events. 

And Zain took home a World Championship Trophy in Creative Weapons. 

KIMT News 3 Sports asked all of the athletes what impact they hope their success has on what's next. 

"I want kids to see that it's possible.  That, like you said, a small little Iowa town, we can go and we can be competitive with those kids from the bigger states like Florida or California.  We can be competitive at that level and just for kids to see that they can do it too," says Zain Sokol. 

"I hope the kids see us do hard things and I hope they see that it's okay to fail and it's okay to be successful and be proud of yourself.  I hope they see both things," says Faith Clevenger. 

"I hope more parents join and start training with their kid.  That's how I started.  My son had been doing this for about ten months.  And after me saying I would never do it, to then saying well I have to have back surgery.  And then four months to the day after back surgery, starting taekwondo," says Jen Hansen. 

All three athletes are planning to make it back to the World Championships, along with helping other athletes get there too.