Las Vegan fulfills potential on taekwondo mat, makes US Olympic team

Faith Dillon doesn’t appear physically intimidating at first glance.

The Las Vegas native weighs 126 pounds and has a mild disposition. But her opponents on the taekwondo mat know better.

The 22-year-old will compete for the U.S. team in the Paris Olympics, fighting in the featherweight (-57kg) division when action begins Aug. 7.

Dillon, a West Career and Technical Academy graduate, has trained since kindergarten, but she did not understand her true potential until recently.

“I didn’t realize I could make (the Olympics) until more recently than people think,” said Dillon, who has won 48 of her 71 registered fights against the top competition in the world. “A year ago today, I did not think I would be here in this situation.”

But the game plan changed in late 2023.

“I had a really good end of the year last year and won the team trials at the beginning of this year,” she said. “I didn’t put pressure on myself (to make the team), but it ended up happening anyway. It didn’t even hit me until recently.”

Brendan Dillon, Faith’s father, echoed the idea that his daughter’s game has elevated to a new level.

“Last year she started qualifying for the Grand Prix (events), and she won a bronze in Rome (at the Roma World Taekwondo Grand Prix),” he said. “Then she got silver (at the Manchester Grand Prix). I realized that this girl had become her own person. She had taken ownership.’”

Faith Dillon is dieting, lifting weights and training five days a week, but she said she is more focused on the mental side of her sport.

“I’ve started to use my brain a lot more,” said Dillon, ranked ninth in the world. “I’m not so aggressive, and I’m not going to outmuscle somebody. But I’m smart and sneaky.”

Steve McNalley, executive director at USA taekwondo, said he has witnessed the blossoming of a potential champion.

“Faith is a true professional,” McNalley said. “She’s able to remain calm, listen and assess situations. Many athletes struggle with that.”

McNalley said he thinks Dillon’s chances in Paris are limitless.

“She’s got a great chance,” he said. “The Olympics are always a bit of a lottery, and things can go wrong. But I would not be at all surprised to see her win a medal in a very competitive division.”

Dillon’s career numbers include the Grand Prix medals, two gold medals and two bronze medals in continental tournaments, and 15 gold medals, five silver medals and four bronze medals in open tournaments.

And momentum, according to those around her, is just beginning to kick in.

Will that momentum produce a medal this summer? Dillon is young and could use Paris as a steppingstone to the 2028 Olympic podium, but she doesn’t want to think about that.

“All I can do is stay in the present,” she said. “I’m OK with whatever happens. I’m just glad to have the opportunity to represent my country.”

And she has vowed to remain levelheaded about being part of such a spectacle.

“The Olympics is a whole other level,” she said. “People put it on a pedestal, but we’ve all been fighting for years. It’s just a bigger stage, and at the end of the day, it’s just another event.”

Review-Journal reporter Jeff Wollard can be reached at jwollard@reviewjournal.com.