KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Terry Gautreaux grew up in Independence, graduating from Blue Springs High School and Rockhurst University.
Along the way, she also picked up an affinity for martial arts, which took her Olympic heights.
Taekwondo wasn’t an official sport at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics.
After a decades-long push to include the sport in the Olympics Games, it was a demonstration sport in 1988 and 1992.
Taekwondo didn’t gain official status from the International Olympic Committee until 1994. Even then, it wasn’t contested as an official medal sport until the 2000 Sydney Games.
But during the 1992 Barcelona Games, Gautreaux, formerly Poindexter, competed for the U.S. in the flyweight division and tied for third to win a bronze medal.
Gautreaux — who now owns and operates Gautreaux’s Martial Arts Center in Blue Springs with her husband, Oren — defeated Mexico’s Patricia Mariscal in the opening round before losing in the semifinals to eventual gold-medalist Elisabeth Delgado of Spain.
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The Kansas City region has a deep, rich history with respect to the Olympic Games. As the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games approach with the Opening Ceremony scheduled for July 23, we will profile an athlete with ties to Kansas City, Missouri or Kansas each day.
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