Master Thimangu receiving Kukkiwon 7th Dan certificate from his senior teacher Grandmaster Duk Gun Kwon

 

Thimangu Becomes First Kenyan Taekwondo 7^th Degree Blackbelt

As many of his agemates avoid new challenges, or slow down to retirement, Patrick L. Thimangu is setting an example by rising to become the world’s only native Kenyan certified as a 7^th degree taekwondo blackbelt.

The martial arts journey that Thimangu began at the Kenya Taekwondo Association gym in Nairobi, in 1986, came to a head in Chicago recently when he took tests required by the World Taekwondo Headquarters in Korea. The organization, which is commonly known as the Kukkiwon, on April 14 certified the 58-year-old after three of its senior grandmasters in Seoul reviewed video of the testing.

“Getting to this level is very humbling. When I began taking taekwondo classes at the KTA dojang, following a mugging in Nairobi’s Central Park, I had no ambition, dream or idea that I would even get to 1^st degree blackbelt,” Thimangu said. “But here we are, 38 years later, and I am teaching taekwondo in the U.S. and trying to inspire others to invest in taking care of their mental and physical health – no matter how old they are. That’s what taekwondo is about.”

Thimangu practices and teaches modern taekwondo, which is commonly known as Kukkiwon or Olympic style taekwondo. It’s a martial art that originated in S. Korea after World War II, and is practiced by millions of people around the world. It is one only two martial arts that are amateur Olympic sports, along with Judo, a Japanese grappling combat sport.

Thimangu is currently the owner and master instructor of Arch Taekwondo in St. Louis, where he has lived for more than 20 years. He moved to the U.S. in 1990, to study for bachelor’s and master’s degrees in journalism and communications. The inspiration to leave a 15-year journalism career in America and start his own business came from a desire to live a healthier lifestyle. He also wanted to motivate others, especially adults, to do the same – which is important in a country facing monumental health problems caused by obesity and people living sedentary lives.

“While many people only know and even practice taekwondo for its sport aspects, that’s a small part of the martial art, often geared only to the young,” Thimangu said. “Serious taekwondo practice involves human development for people of all ages, through practice of well-rounded mental and physical-fitness exercises.”

Thimangu says there were great risks to starting a business in 2009, right at the tail end of the Great Recession triggered by the crash of the U.S. housing market. It was either that or stick with working in the stressful environment of a print journalism industry facing serious challenges, he adds.

“My son was only five and spending a lot of time in daycare, because my wife and I were both working long hours,” Thimangu said. “I thought having my own business would give us better flexibility to raise him, and also teach him a unique skill.”

While he teaches some children, the bread-and-butter clientele of most taekwondo schools around the U.S., most of Thimangu’s students are adults from diverse age, ethnic, gender and professional backgrounds. Some of his students are in their 50s and, thanks to good training, they have the muscle flexibility, cardiovascular energy, and reflexes of teenagers – and can also defend themselves.

Thimangu has recommended over 100 of his students for blackbelt certification since he opened his school including his son Benjie, who is now a university freshman and a 3^rd degree blackbelt, and daughter Eva, an 8-year-old eighth grader, who is a 2^nd degree blackbelt. While his wife Rachel does not practice taekwondo, she has been a great supporter of the taekwondo trio.

Thimangu says he draws inspiration from his late grandmothers in Meru, Kenya, who could walk miles while carrying loads of farm produce on their backs while they were in their late 80s. In 2014, Marcella Thirinja, his maternal grandmother who sadly passed away last year, traveled to St. Louis in her 90s and observed one of his taekwondo classes.

“Of course, I didn’t get to this level on my own. The global village did it,” said Thimangu, who holds dual American and Kenyan nationality. “All my teachers, my family, my fellow taekwondoin, my students, and my friends here in the U.S. and in Kenya have kept me going all these years. For that, I am eternally grateful and indebted to them.”

Thimangu performed the tests for 7^th degree certification on Feb. 18 in Chicago under his senior teacher, Grandmaster Duk Gun Kwon, 87 years old, who he met in 1991. At the test, Thimangu performed various taekwondo attacking, defensive, and evading techniques, including kicks, punches and blocks. He also had to write a 10-page thesis on a researched topic about taekwondo.

Thimangu’s first teacher was Master Ernest Olayo Madanji at the Unifafric House dojang. Madanji is a 6^th degree blackbelt, and currently the only native Kenyan holding that rank

Over the years, Thimangu has made efforts to promote taekwondo in Kenya and inspire Kenyan taekwondoin. In 2016, he hosted and led a free two-day seminar in Meru for 35 taekwondo teachers from all over Kenya. Late last year, he helped four Kenyans to earn 4^th degree blackbelts and qualify for Kukkiwon certification as International Taekwondo Master Instructors. The Kenyan teachers are Kennedy Njoroge Kimemia, Moses Mairan’ga Mungai, Paul Gaturu Muthokia and Cosmas Kimathi Mwandiki.