The gold medal quest by Adrian Spellen and Sven Kenrick Lorrimer at the 16th Annual Pan American Taekwondo Championships in Caguas, Puerto Rico came to a halt after the athletes both lost critical matches.

In the competition that commenced on October 1, Lorrimer lost 2 – 5 to a Peruvian in his first match.
According to reports, Lorrimer posed a good challenge to the much taller Peruvian but he also made a few mistakes in the ring that ultimately cost him the match.

Spellen was victorious in his first match against his Honduran opponent who he whitewashed 7-0 but he was not so fortunate in his second match against an opponent from the Dominican Republic and lost  3 – 5.

Like his compatriot Lorrimer, Spellen had a height disadvantage in the second match against his Spanish-speaking opponent who was also a bit more skillful in his attacks.

Coach Bernard Spellen did not accompany the athletes to the championships and was replaced by Master Nate Robinson, who said that he was impressed with Lorrimer’s performance after seeing him compete for the first time.