Hamish Chimanlal, a Tongan national of Indian and Fijian descent, has fallen in love with taekwondo and believes his destiny is to continue excelling in the sport.
Chimanlal, born and bred in Nuku’alofa, is now training and studying in Auckland.
The University of Auckland student is chasing his dream in the martial art, which first sparked his interest in because it reminded him of the Kung Fu movies he watched as a kid.
Last month, Chimanlal won gold at the Kimunyong Cup 2026 in South Korea, claiming the title in the Senior Male 2 Knife-Hand Breaking division. The win has boosted his love for the sport he first got involved in as a seven-year-old.
On the podium, proudly flying the Tongan flag, Hamish (second from left) with the other medalists in Seoul, Korea.
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“I remember some kids at my school were doing, not the same thing, but something similar, and I was very interested because as a little kid, I saw this thing and I thought, ‘that’s cool,” he said.
“It reminded me of the things that you see in all of the kung fu movies, and so I asked my mother, and she connected with the taekwondo organisation that I’m a part of now, and I joined, and it’s something that stuck with me ever since.”
His first international appearance for Tonga was in South Korea, where he won gold and also achieved his dream of learning more about the martial art.
He explained that there were two disciplines in taekwondo: sport, where one competes in sparring competition, and martial art, where an athlete showcases his or her skills in competition classes, like hand-breaking.
“I competed at the Kimunyong Cup, and I competed in brick breaking there, and there were also a lot of training courses as well that took place,” he said.
“That gold medal was for nice hands breaking, where I competed in the male senior one division, in the ages 19 to 29 category, against a few people in that division.
“I remember there being a Filipino competitor, South Korean competitor, a South American competitor. There were representatives from 61 countries at the event.
Chimanlal said hand breaking, also commonly known as karate chop, involved choosing how many bricks to stack up on top of each other, and whoever breaks the most wins.
“It was definitely a surreal experience,” he said of his gold medal win. “This is my first time competing in breaking, although I have had experience with breaking, but never in a competition setting.”
“There was a lot going on at at that moment between calming my nerves and preparing myself to compete and being in such a big setting, and from from there to actually successfully completing my break to winning.
“It was hard to determine what I felt. But at the end of it, when everything settled, I felt good and happy that I’ve gone all the way there and come home with something instead of come home empty-handed.
“I feel good that I brought a little bit of representation and awareness of Tonga to that side of the world.”
His second achievement in Seoul was completing his International Taekwondo Master Course.
Achieving a childhood dream
Proud mum Reshma said from Nuku’alofa their son’s achivement was an inspiration to everyone who knew him.
“Our Hamish has finally achieved something he has dreamt of doing ever since he was a little boy,” she said.
“He has successfully completed his International Taekwondo Master Course, a dream that started in childhood and has now become a beautiful achievement.
“Well done, Hamish! Keep reaching for your dreams and inspiring us all. This is only the beginning!”
Hamish Chimanlal in Seoul.
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Representing Tonga meant also promoting the island kingdom to those who have never heard or see Tonga.
Chimnalal said that was an exciting part of being involved in the sport, helping to promote and market his home country to the rest of the world.
“Lots of people ask me, ‘Oh, what flag is that that you’re holding, I’ve never seen it before’, or ‘Tonga, I’ve never heard of it before’.
“So, it was a good feeling to bring Tonga to such a diverse event like that.”
Chimanlal was thankful to his family and for all the support gets, from home and from his sports community.
He said his parents were surprised when he told them his exploits in Seoul and is grateful for their unwavering support, especially financially.
“They were very surprised because I hadn’t had been keeping them in the loop completely because it was very hectic. I was very busy, and so all of a sudden, I just sent them a photo of the medal, and they were very shocked and very proud,” he said.
“Behind me, I have an entire taekwondo family that that I’ve grown up with.
“We have the entire Tonga National Taekwondo Association, we have our master who came to Tonga many many years ago, decades ago as a missionary and he taught us to always put God first, and without God I wouldn’t have been able to make these achievements.
“Without them and the entire Tonga National Taekwondo Association, I wouldn’t be able to have even set foot in Korea because they were the ones who gave me support and help.”
The Tonga National Taekwondo Association congratulated Hamish and said they were proud of his achievement.
“This outstanding achievement is a testament to your dedication, discipline, and countless hours of hard work. Your commitment to excellence has paid off, and we couldn’t be prouder of what you’ve accomplished,” the association said on its Facebook page.
“A job well done, Hamish! You have represented yourself and your team with pride. Wishing you continued success as you strive for even greater achievements in the future.”
Next steps
Chimanlal wants to represent Tonga in competitive taekwondo at next year’s Pacific Games in Tahiti, and possibly try for an Olympic Games qualification.
He beleives the competitive sport division is something he still needed to work on.
“There’s two aspects that you can enter for competition. There’s the more sporty side, which is sparring or fighting – what’s in the Olympics. And then there’s more more of the martial arts stuff, such as brick breaking.”
“In the sports side, that’s the highest you can go because that takes you to the Olympics, and on the martial arts side, it’s more just compact to taekwondo.
“I have multiple goals in different places. As of right now, I can definitely say that I’m a lot better in the martial arts side than I am in the sports side.
“So, perhaps next year I intend on returning to [South] Korea and competing again in breaking at even bigger competitions, with more competitors and more prestige behind those competitions, in [the hope of having] successful results as well.
He has started training for those events.
“Another goal is to hopefully qualify for the Pacific Games, which is coming up next year. But that’s more of a bonus goal that I have. As I mentioned, I’m not as good in sparring as I am in the martial arts aspect of Taekwondo.”
Hamish is currently pursuing his Bachelor of Science, majoring in exercise and sport science at the University of Auckland.
He hopes to either work at a rehab clinic, or continue his studies even further to become a physiotherapist.
He believes his taekwondo involvement aligns well with his field of study.
“I try to apply [both] to each other because I try to apply it to the assignments and everything that I’m learning at the moment”.
It makes balancing the act not as challenging, he added.
