ROCHESTER, N.Y. — A sibling duo from upstate New York has taken their talent to the international stage.

“Competing is a unique experience,” taekwondo athlete Hailey Ra said. “Teaching and just running this together is a unique experience. So it's challenging, but it's also really fun.”

Step into Agape Black Belt Center and you will find a gold mine of talent.

“I didn't know how competitive I was until I started,” taekwondo athlete Matthew Ra said. “But that definitely was like a big step of motivation when coming to train and practice.” 

Kicking it runs in the family for Hailey and Matthew Ra. They started their athletic career as young as 2 years old.

“I’ve been doing it since I was a kid, since like 1 or 2,” Matthew said.

“Taekwondo has been our life,” Hailey said. “It's our family business as well. So I have done it ever since I was 5. It first started off not as a choice. So we were thinking, why not just use this time to prepare for competitions? And here we are.” 

Making the dojang a home away from home, the sibling duo trains under what some may call their instructor, but they call their Dad. 

“It was very structured,” Hailey said. “And the way my dad taught classes back then was very strict. I also think it's funny because he's still a parent. So like as much as we're nervous, he's more nervous. 

“Like, worried about homework that you have to do,” Matthew said. “That's fine. But, you know, it's fun because I think we learned the most from him.”

With years of discipline and training, the Ra family took their talent from Rochester to an international stage.

“What we do is poomsae, which is more performative and it's super neat,” Hailey said.

The sibling duo represented Team USA in the World Poomsae Taekwondo Championships, where they performed in freestyle pair division. 

“This has been a goal for me ever since I started competing and to be able to do it with my brother as my partner in the same event,” Hailey said.  

They are competing against 70 countries and over 1,700 athletes.

“I think when you're out there, for the most part, it's pretty intimate and we're just trying to do our best with each other and make sure we see you on time,” Matthew said. 

Although they did not walk off the mat with a first-place finish, they stood tall among the best in the world, showcasing their dedication, talent and unbreakable spirit.

“Not a lot of people are able to relate to what we do,” Matthew said. “It definitely brought us closer. And so I think it built a strong bond.”

“This is not something that started as a passion but grew into it,” Hailey said. “And we hope we can inspire some young martial artists or even other athletes to train hard and keep going.”