Meet Sabum GENEVIEVE DESMARQUIS

I started my martial arts journey when I was six years old. Inspired by my older siblings, I wanted to be just like them. My parents enrolled us in ITF Taekwon-Do so we could learn self-defense and develop a wide range of skills.

My journey in martial arts has been shaped by many meaningful moments, each one memorable in its own way. Here are a few that stand out most:

● 2004: Winning gold at my first ITF World Championships was unforgettable.

● The Mentorship: Training with Grand Master Ung Kim Lan and the German ITF National Team, and being welcomed into his family, was a deeply formative experience that helped me grow both on and off the mats.

● 2016 Vice ITF World Cup: Coming back from injuries to earn this title showed me that high performance is possible without destroying yourself.

● The Sisterhood: Competing internationally with my sister gave us incredible shared memories and stories.

More recently, coaching at the 2025 ITF World Championships with students I first taught as children was incredibly special. Seeing them reach that stage felt like everything had come full circle.

These moments capture what makes the martial arts journey so meaningful: achievement, growth, courage, and giving back.

Competitive Highlights:

Individual highlights:

Special Techniques
2004 ITF World Champion, Italy

Sparring
2004 ITF World Cup: Vice Champion, Orlando
  2006 ITF World Championships: Bronze medal
2008 ITF World Cup: Vice Champion, Italy

Patterns
2004 ITF World Cup Champion, Orlando
2006 ITF World Cup Vice Champion, Spain
2008 ITF World Cup Vice Champion, Italy
2016 ITF World Cup Vice Champion, Hungary
2017 ITF World Championships Vice Champion, Ireland

Team highlights:

Patterns
2009 ITF Vice World Champion, Argentina
2011 ITF Vice World Champion, New Zealand
2016 ITF World Cup Champion, Hungary

I currently wear several different hats. I teach ITF Taekwon-Do at Trân Fusion, where I also serve as Technical Director and coach the competition team. I am involved at the provincial level through pedagogical seminars and at the national level through coaching.

I also co-own Zone Performance with my partner, Sebastian Kühn, a former member of the ITF German National Team. It is a training and therapy studio for active individuals and athletes. We primarily offer group classes alongside more specialized services. My work focuses on injury management and athletic performance through coaching, programming, and sports massage therapy.

We are also developing projects that connect performance and martial arts, including Dallyon, named after a ITF Taekwon-Do component that refers to forging both body and mind. It is a seminar format that combines sport science with the technical and strategic aspects of Taekwon-Do to prevent injuries, optimize performance, and support long-term practice.

Across all of these roles, my goal is to help people stay active, perform at their best, and continue doing what they love for as long as possible.

What’s next?:

What’s next for me is not about starting something new, but about strengthening what is already in motion. Across my roles in ITF Taekwon-Do as a Technical Director, instructor, competition coach, and National Team coach, as well as through Zone Performance and its community, my goal remains the same: to help people grow, stay active and healthy in the long term, and pursue ambitious goals while pushing their limits safely.

In every setting, I want to continue building the communities I am part of so they can have an even greater impact on the people within them. Through all of this, family remains my foundation and the balance that keeps everything meaningful and sustainable.

My experience working with Mightyfist:

Overall, my experience with Mightyfist has been very positive. As a customer, what has always stood out most to me is the quality of their doboks. They felt noticeably different from what I had experienced before in terms of comfort, fit, and lightweight fabric.

I have also really appreciated their communication and the fact that they take the time to respond personally and understand more specific needs.

Overall, the values they promote feel aligned with the spirit of Taekwon-Do while maintaining a high level of professionalism.