| Daniel Trenton | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1 March 1977 Melbourne, Australia |
| Residence | Melbourne, Australia |
| Nationality | Australian |
| Style | Taekwondo |
| Teacher(s) | Joon No, Jin Tae Jeong |
| Rank | 4th dan (WTF) |
| Occupation | Taekwondo coach |
| Notable students | Tina Morgan |
Daniel Trenton (born 1 March 1977) is an Australian taekwondo coach and formerly represented his country in the sport at international level.[1][2] He won a silver medal in the heavyweight (+80 kg) division of men's taekwondo at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney.[3][4] Trenton was Head Coach of Australia's Olympic taekwondo team in 2008.
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Trenton was born on 1 March 1977 in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, the son of Greg and Gina Trenton.[1][5] He grew up in a housing commission in the suburb of Fitzroy North.[5] He began training in taekwondo when his parents bought him a lesson in the martial art for his 11th birthday.[1][5] He trained in taekwondo in the Victorian Taekwondo Academy.[1] In 1995, he won a scholarship to the Victorian Institute of Sport, which was to become his main training institution.[1][5] Joon No was one of his taekwondo coaches.[6]
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Competitor for Australia | ||
| Men's taekwondo | ||
| Olympic Games | ||
| Silver | 2000 Sydney | +80 kg |
| World Championships | ||
| Bronze | 1999 Edmonton | Heavyweight |
| World Cup | ||
| Silver | 2002 Tokyo | Heavyweight |
| Bronze | 1997 Cairo | Heavyweight |
| Asian Championships | ||
| Silver | 2002 Amman | Heavyweight |
| Silver | 1996 Melbourne | Heavyweight |
Trenton began his international competitive career in the heavyweight division, participating in two tournaments before winning his first medal: a silver medal at the 1996 Asian Championships in Melbourne.[7] He won bronze medals at the 1997 World Cup in Cairo and the 1999 World Championships in Edmonton.[7][8] Around this period, he was working as a taekwondo instructor, and was studying recreation management at the Victoria University of Technology.[2]
Leading up to the 2000 Summer Olympics, Trenton held 10 Australian taekwondo championship titles.[9] He made it to the final match of his division, but lost 6-2 to Kim Kyong-Hun from South Korea.[3][4][7][10] After winning the silver medal, he tried starting a legal career with tertiary studies at Monash University,[11] but soon returned to taekwondo competition as his main occupation.[5] He also coached the Monash University taekwondo team while in his third year of studies at the institution.[11][12] In 2001, he was a quarter-finalist at the World Championships, and in 2002 he placed second at the Asian Championships in Amman and the World Cup in Tokyo.[7][13][14] He was listed at 180 cm (5' 11") in height and 86 kg (190 lb.) in weight.[14]
Trenton dropped a weight division for his next Olympic Games campaign, entering the weltweight (–80 kg) division.[15][16] At the 2004 Summer Olympics, Trenton competed but did not make it through the final rounds; he was defeated in a quarter-final match by eventual bronze medallist Yousef Karami from Iran.[15][16][17] By the end of his competitive career, Trenton held 16 Australian taekwondo championship titles, and had three major operations (two shoulder reconstructions and one ankle reconstruction).[1][14]
Trenton was appointed Head Coach for Taekwondo Australia in November 2005.[18] In 2006/07, he served on the Board of Management for Taekwondo Australia.[19] In 2007, he was Head Coach of taekwondo for the Australian Institute of Sport, and the following year, he was Head Coach for the Australian Olympic taekwondo team in 2008.[19][20][21]
Trenton now works as Director of Sports for Sports Taekwondo Australia and teaches at the Victorian Taekwondo Academy.[22][23][24] He holds the rank of 4th dan in taekwondo.[23]