Melissa Pagnotta

Melissa Pagnotta is a Canadian taekwondo athlete. She competed for Canada in the women's 67 kg event at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where she was the country's only taekwondo athlete and finished in seventh place. Pagnotta qualified to the 2016 Summer Olympics by winning a silver medal at the 2016 Pan American Taekwondo Olympic Qualification Tournament in Aguascalientes, Mexico. She achieved success at the 2011 Pan American Games in Guadalajara, Mexico, where she won a gold medal in the women's 67 kg event. Pagnotta won a silver medal at the 2015 World Taekwondo Grand Prix in Moscow, Russia, after losing a close, sudden-death match to South Korea's Oh Hye-ri. Her accolades also include three gold medals from the Commonwealth Taekwondo Championships and four from the Pan American Taekwondo Championships.

Early life

Pagnotta was born on September 22, 1988, in North York, Ontario. She began practicing taekwondo at age eight after her father introduced her to a local club, where she grew to enjoy the physical and contact nature of the sport. Pagnotta graduated from Dante Alighieri Academy in Toronto and later attended York University to study kinesiology, but she withdrew after one year to pursue taekwondo full time.

Personal life

Pagnotta is of Italian descent; both of her parents emigrated from Italy.
Pagnotta is one of four siblings; she has an older sister, Rosanne, and two younger brothers, Michael and Adriano.

Results

2023 Dominican Open – Silver
2022 World Championships – 9th
2022 Grand Prix – Top 16
2022 Grand Prix – Top 32
2022 World Taekwondo Presidents Cup – Bronze
2022 Pan American Championships – Bronze
2022 Belgium Open – Silver
2021 Pan American Championships – Bronze
2020 US Open – Bronze
2019 Grand Prix Final – Top 16
2019 French Open – Gold
2019 World Taekwondo Presidents Cup – Gold
2019 Canada Open – Gold
2019 Grand Prix – Top 32
2019 Grand Prix – Top 32
2019 Pan Am Open – Silver
2019 World Championships – 9th
2019 US Open – Silver
2018 Grand Prix Final – Top 16
2018 Grand Prix 4 – Top 16
2018 World Taekwondo Presidents Cup – Gold
2018 Canada Open – Silver
2018 Pan Am Championships – Bronze
2018 Grand Prix 1 – Top 32
2018 US Open – Silver
2017 World Taekwondo Presidents Cup – Bronze
2017 Canada Open – Gold
2017 Commonwealth Championships – Gold
2017 Costa Rica Open – Silver
2017 World Championships – Top 8
2016 World Taekwondo Presidents Cup – Gold
2016 Grand Prix Final – Top 8
2016 Olympic Games – Top 8
2016 Pan Am Open – Gold
2016 Pan Am Olympic Qualifier – Silver
2016 Mexico Open – Gold
2016 German Open – Bronze
2016 Spain Open – Gold
2015 Pan Am Open – Gold
2015 Grand Prix 1 – Silver
2015 Grand Prix 2 – Top 16
2015 Grand Prix 3 – Top 32
2015 World Championships – Top 16
2015 Croatia Open – Top 8
2015 Morocco Open – Gold
2015 Canada Open – Gold
2015 US Open – Bronze
2014 Pan Am Open – Bronze
2014 Turkish Open – Top 8
2014 Paris Open – Silver
2014 Commonwealth Championships – Gold
2014 Grand Prix 3 – Top 32
2014 Pan Am Championships – Gold
2014 Mexico Open – Silver
2014 Grand Prix 2 – Top 32
2014 Grand Prix 1 – Top 32
2014 US Open – Top 8
2014 Canada Open – Silver
2013 US Open – Silver
2013 Grand Prix Finals – Top 16
2013 Canada Open – Top 8
2012 Korea Open – Bronze
2012 Pan Am Championships – Top 8
2012 Canada Open – Top 8
2011 World Championships – Top 64
2011 Pan Am Games – Gold
2011 Korea Open – Bronze
2011 US Open – Gold
2010 Pan Am Championships – Gold
2010 Dutch Open – Top 8
2010 US Open – Gold
2010 Germany Open – Bronze
2009 US Open – Gold
2009 Korea Open – Top 8
2008 Commonwealth Championships – Gold
2008 Pan Am Championships – Gold
2007 World Championships – Top 32
2005 Jr Pan Am Championships – Gold
2005 Paris Open – Bronze
2004 Jr World Championships – Top 8
2003 Jr Pan Am Championships – Silver
2002 Jr World Championships – Top 64

Senior:

2022 Canadian National – Gold
2019 Canadian National – Gold
2018 Canadian National – Gold
2017 Canadian National – Gold
2015 Canadian National – Gold
2014 Canadian National – Gold
2013 Canadian National – Gold
2012 Olympic Carding Game – Silver
2012 Canadian National – Gold
2011 Canadian National Team Trials – Gold
2011 Olympic Carding Game – Gold
2011 Canadian National – Gold
2010 Canadian National Team Trials – Gold
2010 Olympic Carding Game – Gold
2010 Canadian National – Gold
2009 Olympic Carding Game – Gold
2009 Canadian National Team Trials – Silver
2009 Canadian National – Gold
2008 Olympic Carding Game – Silver
2008 Canadian National Team Trials – Gold
2008 Canadian National – Gold
2007 Olympic Carding Game – Silver
2007 Canadian National Team Trials – Gold
2007 Canadian National – Gold
2006 Olympic Carding Game – Silver
2006 Canadian National – Gold
2005 Olympic Carding Game – Silver
2005 Canadian National – Bronze
2004 Olympic Carding Game – Gold
2004 Canadian National – Gold