Huntington Beach , Calif. -- When Kaylie Christy decided to give up gymnastics for Taekwondo a few years ago, her mother was quite astonished.

“She was already so good in gymnastics and she was training with older children in an older division,” says Kaylie’s mother, Sunday Christy. “Plus, she loved it.”

But when Kaylie, a fourth grader at Carden Academy of Huntington Beach, went to watch her brother, Kyle, train in Taekwondo three years ago, she decided that is what she wanted to do too “because it was more exciting than gymnastics.”

What made her switch to Taekwondo even more astonishing is that Kaylie is so shy.

“It’s just not in Kaylie’s nature to put on all that gear on and beat up on people,” Sunday says with a laugh.

Well, all Kaylie has done since starting Taekwondo is win. Her latest accomplishment is capturing a Bronze medal in sparring at the 2008 Taekwondo Jr. Olympic National Competition in Detroit on July 5-6. And she won the medal despite being the youngest and lightest in weight in her division (10-11 year olds, 65 pounds and under). Moreover, the 9-year-old Kaylie came within one point of winning the Silver medal.

“She fought a great fight, then with 10 seconds left, she looked at the scoreboard and lost her focus,” Sunday says. “But that’s OK. It all comes with age and experience.”

Kaylie, who qualified for the 2008 Taekwondo Jr. Olympic National Competition by capturing a Silver medal in the National Qualifying Tournament in Fresno last April, has won a medal in 99% of the tournaments in which she has performed.

Kaylie, who trains at the Official Taekwondo Academy in Huntington Beach ( www. officialtaekwondoacademy.com) with Master Herman Tamayo, has whizzed through 10 levels and will earn her Black Belt in August. She has already earned her White Belt, as well as Yellow, Green, Blue, Purple, Brown, and Red 1, 2 and 3.

Kaylie Christy with Diana and Steve Lopez of USA Olympic Team

“It’s quite amazing to see her progress at this rate,” Sunday says. “She’s not as shy as she used to be, but she’s still shy, always looking down and smiling and not saying too much. But when she gets on that mat, boy, she’s a different person.”

Carden Academy - Huntington Beach (at 721 E. Utica Avenue).

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