Lauren Burns
Encyclopedia
Lauren Chantel Burns, OAM
(born 8 June 1974) is an Australian taekwondo
practitioner and Olympic champion. She won Australia's first Olympic gold medal in taekwondo at the 2000 Summer Olympics
in Sydney
, competing in the women's under 49 kg class. Burns holds the rank of 3rd dan
black belt
in taekwondo. Following her competitive taekwondo career, she has been involved in a range of activities, including motivational speaking and community work.
, Victoria
, Australia, the daughter of singer Ronnie Burns
and dancer Maggie Burns (née Stewart). As a child, she did not participate much in sports. Her younger brother, Michael (then aged 7), became interested in martial arts after watching the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
, and started learning taekwondo. Shortly thereafter, their father also began training in taekwondo; together, her father and brother encouraged her (then aged 14) to begin training as well.
Burns began her taekwondo training in Hall's Taekwondo, which was founded and is directed by instructors Martin and Jeanette Hall. She began competing in taekwondo in 1990; she was training under Joon No's direction at the time, and her training partner was Donna Scherp.
in Hong Kong, and a gold medal at the US Open taekwondo competition in 1999. Her first appearance at the World Championships was at the 1993 World Taekwondo Championships
in New York, and she shared fifth place in the bantamweight division at the 1995 World Taekwondo Championships
in the Philippines. She has also won medals at many other competitions outside Australia.
Burns studied naturopathy, but deferred her studies for a year to focus on her Olympic campaign in 2000, training under Australian national taekwondo coach Jin Tae Jeong. She trained 5–7 hours a day in preparation for Olympic competition. Burns was listed at 165 cm (5'5") in height and 49 kg (108 lb.) in weight, but has since indicated that 54 kg (119 lb.) is her natural weight. On 23 August 2000, less than a month before the Sydney Olympics, she was awarded the Australian Sports Medal
. Burns won a gold medal in taekwondo at the 2000 Summer Olympics
, in a tournament marked by controversial judging at times. She defeated Taiwanese competitor Chi Shu-Ju
in the quarter final, who claimed that the loud cheering of the parochial home crowd had influenced the judges, and won the Olympic final against Cuban competitor Urbia Melendez
.
On 26 January 2001 (Australia Day
), Burns was honoured with a Medal of the Order of Australia
.
Her Olympic gold medal was stolen in 2003, but it was recovered within a few days. That same year, she published her autobiography, Fighting Spirit: From a charmed childhood to the Olympics and beyond.
and the South Australian Sports Institute
. Apart from her taekwondo career, Burns also works as a motivational speaker and promotes the "Zip Bag," which she designed. She also supports the Red Dust Role Models community project and is an ambassador for charitable organisation World Vision
. Burns resides in Melbourne with her husband, Nathan Muller, and their children, Mac Banjo (born in early 2009)and Piper (born in 2010).
Order of Australia
The Order of Australia is an order of chivalry established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, "for the purpose of according recognition to Australian citizens and other persons for achievement or for meritorious service"...
(born 8 June 1974) is an Australian taekwondo
Taekwondo
Taekwondo is a Korean martial art and the national sport of South Korea. In Korean, tae means "to strike or break with foot"; kwon means "to strike or break with fist"; and do means "way", "method", or "path"...
practitioner and Olympic champion. She won Australia's first Olympic gold medal in taekwondo at the 2000 Summer Olympics
2000 Summer Olympics
The Sydney 2000 Summer Olympic Games or the Millennium Games/Games of the New Millennium, officially known as the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was celebrated between 15 September and 1 October 2000 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia...
in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, competing in the women's under 49 kg class. Burns holds the rank of 3rd dan
Dan (rank)
The ranking system is a Japanese mark of level, which is used in modern fine arts and martial arts. Originally invented in a Go school in the Edo period, this system was applied to martial arts by Kanō Jigorō, the founder of judo and later introduced to other East Asia countries.In the modern...
black belt
Black belt (martial arts)
In martial arts, the black belt is a way to describe a graduate of a field where a practitioner's level is often marked by the color of the belt. The black belt is commonly the highest belt color used and denotes a degree of competence. It is often associated with a teaching grade though...
in taekwondo. Following her competitive taekwondo career, she has been involved in a range of activities, including motivational speaking and community work.
Early life
Burns was born on 8 June 1974 in MelbourneMelbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
, Australia, the daughter of singer Ronnie Burns
Ronnie Burns (Australian)
Ronald "Ronnie" Leslie Burns is an Australian rock singer and guitarist. He fronted the Melbourne band The Flies in the early 1960s, followed by a solo career into the 1970s and was a member of Burns Cotton & Morris in the 1990s. He retired from performing in 2000...
and dancer Maggie Burns (née Stewart). As a child, she did not participate much in sports. Her younger brother, Michael (then aged 7), became interested in martial arts after watching the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are a fictional team of four teenage anthropomorphic turtles, who were trained by their anthropomorphic rat sensei in the art of ninjutsu and named after four Renaissance artists...
, and started learning taekwondo. Shortly thereafter, their father also began training in taekwondo; together, her father and brother encouraged her (then aged 14) to begin training as well.
Burns began her taekwondo training in Hall's Taekwondo, which was founded and is directed by instructors Martin and Jeanette Hall. She began competing in taekwondo in 1990; she was training under Joon No's direction at the time, and her training partner was Donna Scherp.
Competitive taekwondo career
A successful tournament career included 12 Australian women's national taekwondo championships, a bronze medal at the World Cup in 1996, a bronze medal in the under 51 kg class at the 1997 World Taekwondo Championships1997 World Taekwondo Championships
The 1997 World Taekwondo Championships were the 13th edition of the World Taekwondo Championships, and were held in Hong Kong from November 19 to November 23, 1997 with 710 athletes participating from 80 countries.-Men:-Women:-Medal table:...
in Hong Kong, and a gold medal at the US Open taekwondo competition in 1999. Her first appearance at the World Championships was at the 1993 World Taekwondo Championships
1993 World Taekwondo Championships
The 1993 World Taekwondo Championships were the 11th edition of the World Taekwondo Championships, and were held in New York, United States from August 19 to August 21, 1993 with 669 athletes participating from 83 countries.-Men:-Women:-Medal table:...
in New York, and she shared fifth place in the bantamweight division at the 1995 World Taekwondo Championships
1995 World Taekwondo Championships
The 1995 World Taekwondo Championships were the 12th edition of the World Taekwondo Championships, and were held in Manila, Philippines from November 17 to November 21, 1995 with 598 athletes participating from 77 countries.-Men:-Women:-Medal table:...
in the Philippines. She has also won medals at many other competitions outside Australia.
Burns studied naturopathy, but deferred her studies for a year to focus on her Olympic campaign in 2000, training under Australian national taekwondo coach Jin Tae Jeong. She trained 5–7 hours a day in preparation for Olympic competition. Burns was listed at 165 cm (5'5") in height and 49 kg (108 lb.) in weight, but has since indicated that 54 kg (119 lb.) is her natural weight. On 23 August 2000, less than a month before the Sydney Olympics, she was awarded the Australian Sports Medal
Australian Sports Medal
The Australian Sports Medal was an award given during 2000 to recognise achievements in Australian sport.Recipients of the award included competitors, coaches, sports scientists, office holders, and people who maintained sporting facilities and services. Over 18,000 Medals were...
. Burns won a gold medal in taekwondo at the 2000 Summer Olympics
2000 Summer Olympics
The Sydney 2000 Summer Olympic Games or the Millennium Games/Games of the New Millennium, officially known as the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was celebrated between 15 September and 1 October 2000 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia...
, in a tournament marked by controversial judging at times. She defeated Taiwanese competitor Chi Shu-Ju
Chi Shu-Ju
Chi Shu-Ju is a Taiwanese taekwondo practitioner and Olympic medalist. She competed at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney where she received a bronze medal in the 49 kg class.-References:...
in the quarter final, who claimed that the loud cheering of the parochial home crowd had influenced the judges, and won the Olympic final against Cuban competitor Urbia Melendez
Urbia Melendez
Urbia Melendez is a Cuban taekwondo practitioner and Olympic medalist. She received a silver medal in flyweight at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney.-References:...
.
On 26 January 2001 (Australia Day
Australia Day
Australia Day is the official national day of Australia...
), Burns was honoured with a Medal of the Order of Australia
Order of Australia
The Order of Australia is an order of chivalry established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, "for the purpose of according recognition to Australian citizens and other persons for achievement or for meritorious service"...
.
Her Olympic gold medal was stolen in 2003, but it was recovered within a few days. That same year, she published her autobiography, Fighting Spirit: From a charmed childhood to the Olympics and beyond.
Post-competition career
Burns is linked with the Victorian Institute of SportVictorian Institute of Sport
The Victorian Institute of Sport is the government-funded sporting institute of the Australian state of Victoria. It runs a number of programs for sports training. The headquarters are located in Melbourne. The inaugural executive director of the institute was Frank Pyke....
and the South Australian Sports Institute
South Australian Sports Institute
The South Australian Sports Institute is a specialised educational and training institution providing coaching for elite junior and senior athletes in a number of sports....
. Apart from her taekwondo career, Burns also works as a motivational speaker and promotes the "Zip Bag," which she designed. She also supports the Red Dust Role Models community project and is an ambassador for charitable organisation World Vision
World Vision
World Vision, founded in the USA in 1950, is an evangelical relief and development organization whose stated goal is "to follow our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ in working with the poor and oppressed to promote human transformation, seek justice and bear witness to the good news of the Kingdom of...
. Burns resides in Melbourne with her husband, Nathan Muller, and their children, Mac Banjo (born in early 2009)and Piper (born in 2010).