Father, Mother, Daughter Each Win Gold in Taekwondo Competition

Three Edgewater residents competed in the Southern Maryland Martial Arts AAU Taekwondo Tournament on Saturday and each brought home a gold medal.

The crazy part? They’re a family of three.

Chris Sawyer, 51, Esther Sawyer, 37 and their 9-year-old daughter Xena each took home gold medals in various competitions at the regional tournament as part of the East Coast Martial Arts of Annapolis and Edgewater team.

“It was just one of the best days of my life, ever,” Chris Sawyer said. “We trained, worked out for a few months … it was just really cool.”

The Sawyer adults didn’t start competing in taekwondo until years after their daughter began at the age of 4. But since then, it’s become a family passion that culminated into a special weekend on Saturday.

Xena won gold medals in her age group in “forms” and “point sparring.” Esther Sawyer took home gold in “forms” and a silver in “point sparring” while Chris Sawyer earned gold in “point sparring” and a bronze in “forms.”

Months before the competition, the Sawyers hiked Mt. Washington for more than three hours as part of their training—something that helped push each of them to success at the tournament in Bryans Road, MD. 

Following their success, the Sawyers wanted to thank their coaches and said their support was vital to the family's success.

Do you know the Sawyers? Tell them "congrats" in the comments below.