Grandmaster Daniel Thornton

Grandmaster Thornton started Taekwondo on Vancouver Island at the age of 7 under the instruction of Grandmaster Woo Kim. By the age of 16 he started teaching at the rec centre, where he first started. By the age of 19 the Woo Kim Courtenay School was one of the largest schools in the association. At the age of 22 he moved to Korea to further his education in the sport, where he trained with some of the top teams in the world. In 2004, at the age of 30 Grandmaster Thornton moved home and opened the Woo Kim Surrey Taekwondo School. Now he has become one of the leading masters in the sport of Taekwondo in the Province and the Nation.

Qualifications
  • 7th Degree Black Belt
  • Kukkiwon Certified Instructor – 1998
  • Canadian National Certified Instructor – 2005
  • National Poomsae Referee – 2008
  • NCCP Assistant Instructor Certified – 2012
  • NCCP Competition Introduction – 2013
  • NCCP Dojang Coach Certified – 2013
  • NCCP Competition Development – 2014
  • NCCP Performance Coach Certified – 2014
  • National Referee Course – 2014
  • Standard First Aid – 2015
  • NCCP Core Evaluator and Leaning Facilitator – 2019

Achievements
  • BC Team Assistant Coach – 2004- 2008
  • Listed in the National Coaching Pool – 2012
  • National Team Coach – 2013 to Present
  • Head Coach of Taekwondo BC – 2012 to Present
  • Taekwondo Canada Board of Directors – 2015
  • Taekwondo BC Secretary General – 2015 – 2017
  • Coach for Two Pan-American Champions – 2017
  • Coach for World Silver Medalist – 2018
  • World Grand Prix Coach – 2019
  • Pan-America Olympic Qualifier 2020 and 2024