Faith Dillon
{{Short description|American taekwondo athlete}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2024}}
{{Infobox sportsperson
| name = Faith Dillon
| image =
| alt =
| caption =
| full_name =
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|2002|6|23}}
| birth_place = Waterbury, Connecticut, U.S.
| hometown = Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.
| height = 5 ft 9 in
| weight = 57 kg
| education = DeVry University
| country = United States
| sport = Taekwondo
| event = –57 kg
| weight_class =
| weight_class_type =
| rank =
| event_type =
| coach =
| highestranking =
| pb =
| show-medals =
| medaltemplates =
{{Medal|Sport|Women's taekwondo }}
{{MedalCountry|the {{USA}}}}
{{MedalCompetition|Grand Prix}}
{{Medal|Silver|2023 Manchester|57 kg}}
{{Medal|Bronze|2023 Rome|57 kg}}
{{Medal|Competition|Pan American Championships}}
{{Medal|Bronze|2021 Cancún|57 kg}}
{{Medal|Bronze|2022 Punta Cana|62 kg}}
}}
Faith Dillon (born June 23, 2002) is an American taekwondo athlete. She represented the United States at the 2024 Summer Olympics.
Early life
Dillon was born to Brendan and Doison Dillon in Waterbury, Connecticut, and raised in Las Vegas, Nevada.{{cite web |url=https://www.teamusa.com/profiles/faith-dillon-1113720 |title=Faith Dillon |website=teamusa.com |access-date=August 5, 2024}}{{cite web |url=https://www.teamusa.com/news/2024/may/08/taekwondo-standout-faith-dillon-riding-high-heading-into-first-olympic-experience |title=Taekwondo Standout Faith Dillon Riding High Heading Into First Olympic Experience |website=teamusa.com |first=Drew |last=Silverman |date=May 8, 2024 |access-date=August 5, 2024}} She began training in taekwondo at five years old, after seeing the television series Jackie Chan Adventures.{{cite web |url=https://www.reviewjournal.com/uncategorized/young-north-las-vegas-resident-dreams-of-making-the-olympics/ |title=Young North Las Vegas resident dreams of making the Olympics |newspaper=Las Vegas Review-Journal |first=Kristi |last=Jourdan |date=August 15, 2011 |access-date=August 5, 2024}} She attended West Career and Technical Academy in Las Vegas.{{cite web |url=https://www.reviewjournal.com/local/local-las-vegas/downtown/las-vegas-freshman-rising-to-the-top-in-national-taekwondo-tournaments/ |title=Las Vegas freshman rising to the top in national taekwondo tournaments |newspaper=Las Vegas Review-Journal |first=Jan |last=Hogan |date=October 27, 2016 |access-date=August 5, 2024}}
Career
Dillon made her senior international debut for the United States in June 2021 at the 2021 Pan American Taekwondo Championships and won a bronze medal in the women's 57 kg event.{{cite web |url=https://mundotaekwondo.com/results-panamerican-taekwondo-championship-day-2/ |title=Results Panamerican Taekwondo Championship (Day 2) |website=mundotaekwondo.com |first=Carlos |last=Hernandez |date=June 4, 2021 |access-date=August 5, 2024}}
In May 2022, she competed at the 2022 Pan American Taekwondo Championships and won a bronze medal in the women's 62 kg event.{{cite web |url=https://mundotaekwondo.com/results-senior-division-kyrougyxxii-panamerican-taekwondo-championships-2022-puntacana-day-2/ |title=Results Senior Division Kyrougy XXII Panamerican Taekwondo Championships 2022 #Puntacana (Day 2) |website=mundotaekwondo.com |first=Carlos |last=Hernandez |date=May 4, 2022 |access-date=August 5, 2024}} In November 2022, she competed in the women's lightweight event at the 2022 World Taekwondo Championships held in Guadalajara, Mexico.
In June 2023, she competed in the women's lightweight event at the 2023 World Taekwondo Championships held in Baku, Azerbaijan. Later that month she then competed at the 2023 World Taekwondo Grand Prix in Rome, Italy and won a bronze medal in the women's 57 kg event.{{cite web |url=https://www.worldtaekwondo.org/competition/view.html?nid=140139 |title=Great Britain and Uzbekistan capture gold on opening day of Roma 2023 World Taekwondo Grand Prix |publisher=World Taekwondo |date=June 9, 2023 |access-date=August 5, 2024}} In December 2023, she competed at the 2023 World Taekwondo Grand Prix in Manchester, United Kingdom and won a silver medal in the women's 57 kg event, losing to Luo Zongshi.{{cite web |url=https://www.worldtaekwondo.org/wtnews/view.html?nid=140754 |title=Opening day of Manchester 2023 Grand Prix Final delivers gold for Italy, Thailand, Hungary, China and Korea |publisher=World Taekwondo |date=December 2, 2023 |access-date=August 5, 2024}}
In January 2024, she competed at the U.S. Olympic Trials and defeated 2022 world champion Makayla Greenwood to advance to the 2024 Pan American Taekwondo Olympic Qualification Tournament.{{cite web |url=https://www.nbcsports.com/olympics/news/taekwondo-olympic-trials-usa |title=Rising taekwondo athletes take out Olympic, world champions at U.S. trials |website=NBC Sports |date=January 5, 2024 |access-date=August 5, 2024}}{{cite web |url=https://olympics.com/en/news/meet-us-taekwondo-team-paris-2024-olympic-games |title=Meet the US Taekwondo team for Paris 2024 Olympic Games |website=olympics.com |first=Grace |last=Goulding |date=May 6, 2024 |access-date=August 5, 2024}} Later that month at the Fujairah Open she fractured the metacarpal bone in her ring finger after an axe kick to her hand. She underwent surgery and missed three to four weeks of action.{{cite web |url=https://ufhealth.org/stories/2024/uf-health-helps-team-usa-taekwondo-athlete-faith-dillon-get-back-to-fighting-shape |title=UF Health Helps Team USA Taekwondo Athlete Faith Dillon Get Back to Fighting Shape |website=ufhealth.org |first=Christine |last=Preusler |date=July 29, 2024 |access-date=August 5, 2024}} In April 2024, during the Olympic Qualification Tournament, she won her semifinal match and qualified to represent the United States at the 2024 Summer Olympics.{{cite web|url=https://www.insidethegames.biz/articles/1144637/patu-olympic-qualifiers-in-dominican |title=USA and Brazil secure three Olympic berths in Taekwondo Pan-Am qualifiers |website=insidethegames.biz |first=Rafael |last=Khalatyan |date=April 11, 2024 |access-date=August 5, 2024}}{{cite web |url=https://www.nbcolympics.com/news/taekwondo-101-us-olympic-roster-and-athlete-news |title=Taekwondo 101: U.S. Olympic roster and athlete news |website=NBColympics.com |first=Shawn |last=Smith |date=August 3, 2024 |access-date=August 5, 2024}}{{cite web |url=https://www.reviewjournal.com/sports/olympics/las-vegan-fulfills-potential-on-taekwondo-mat-makes-us-olympic-team-3096584/ |title=Las Vegan fulfills potential on taekwondo mat, makes US Olympic team |newspaper=Las Vegas Review-Journal |first=Jeff |last=Wollard |date=July 17, 2024 |access-date=August 5, 2024}}
References
{{reflist|30em}}
External links
- {{World Taekwondo profile|d5755918-c586-4754-8421-72e55f4e7a62|Faith Dillon}}
- {{Team USA|new_id=faith-dillon-1113720}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dillon, Faith}}
Category:American female taekwondo practitioners
Category:DeVry University alumni
Category:Pan American Taekwondo Championships medalists
Category:Sportspeople from Waterbury, Connecticut
Category:Martial artists from Las Vegas
Category:Olympic taekwondo practitioners for the United States
Category:Taekwondo practitioners at the 2024 Summer Olympics