Skip to content

Burnaby athlete brings home truckload of medals

Darryl Andaya is no stranger to extraordinary accomplishments.
Darryl Andaya
Darryl Andaya's excellence in martial arts propelled him all the way to New Zealand, where he represented Canada earlier this month at the inaugural International Special Needs Taekwon-do Games. There, he made history by becoming one of the first-ever Special Needs Taekwon-do World Champions, winning two gold medals, one silver, and one bronze. Photo submitted

Darryl Andaya is no stranger to extraordinary accomplishments.

Through nine years of intense dedication and hard work at his family’s studio in Burnaby, he earned his black belt in taekwon-do – a lofty achievement made even more impressive by the fact that Andaya has Down syndrome.

Andaya’s excellence in the martial arts propelled him all the way to New Zealand, where he represented Canada earlier this month at the inaugural International Special Needs Taekwon-do Games. There, he made history by becoming one of the first-ever Special Needs Taekwon-do World Champions, winning two gold medals, one silver, and one bronze. As the one-man Canadian team, Andaya placed fourth among all nations and quickly became a fan favourite.

“Canada was well-loved and other countries chanted ‘Canada!’ every time Darryl went on the mats,” said his father Darius, owner of DSA Taekwon-do. “Darryl made lots of new friends from other countries and hopefully he can make it to the next one in the Netherlands in 2021.”

The medals he earned in New Zealand are not Andaya’s only accolades of late. Before jetting off to the games, he added another prize to his burgeoning trophy shelf: the 2019 George Klukas Achievement Award.

Darryl Andaya two
Darryl Andaya is pictured second from the left. Photo submitted

Presented annually to a student of the Burnaby-based Down Syndrome Resource Foundation by DSRF Board member George Klukas in recognition of significant improvement and success over the past year, the prestigious Klukas Award celebrates the achievements of an older teen or young adult with Down syndrome.

Andaya, 19, has completed years of speech therapy at DSRF, as well as participating in the popular Music in Motion program. Through his work at DSRF, Andaya has begun to speak more and become better able to vocalize his thoughts. He has become more confident and increasingly independent, making his own decisions and learning how to use the transit system.

In addition to competing, Andaya also teaches taekwondo to young children, including children with disabilities. In conjunction with the Down Syndrome Resource Foundation, DSA Taekwon-do offers weekly classes for young people with Down syndrome. Darius hopes that many of these students will follow in Darryl’s footsteps.

“Two years is a long time,” Andaya said, “but if they stay motivated, I can see some of our students going to the championships and experiencing what we just did.”

For more information on DSA Taekwon-do, visit https://dsataekwondo.com. For more information on Taekwon-do for individuals with Down syndrome, and other programs and services offered by the Down Syndrome Resource Foundation, visit http://DSRF.org.