Najem grabs the gold

Edmonton tae-kwon-do specialist Sayed Najem brought back a gold medal from the Pan-American Games in Puerto Rico last weekend.

The 20-year-old baritamweight, who represented Canada in the 1988 Seoul Olympics as a flyweight, defeated American H Hwan Le in Saturday's championship bout.

"It was wicked," said Najem, who qualified for the World Cup in Madrid beginning Nov. 9. "This was my first intenational competition in the new weight class (58 kilograms) and I didn't really expect to win. But I've been training real hard since the Olympics. I was very determined."