It’s impossible not to draw some sort of parallel.
Mild-mannered reporter at the Daily Planet, Clark Kent by day famously became the ‘Man of Steel’ Superman at night.
Wollongong’s Dr Sam Wise spends his days working as a leading Illawarra skin cancer specialist in what he describes as his "dream career". After hours, he transforms into a martial arts expert, and is now recognised as one of Australia’s best in his chosen discipline, taekwondo.
For his remarkable achievements, Sam received a special Lord Mayor’s Award, presented by Gordon Bradbery AM at the 2024 Wollongong Citizen of the Year Awards.
The past 12 months have been a year to remember for Sam. In July 2023, he became the NSW state champion in taekwondo poomsae, qualifying to represent the state at the national taekwondo championships in Western Australia.
Competing in Perth in October, he won two gold medals to become the Australian national champion in taekwondo fighting and the Australian national champion in taekwondo poomsae in his division.
Sam’s passion for martial arts started early.
“From preschool age I was fascinated by the performance of my older brothers, who took up karate and kung-fu in their primary school years,” Sam said. “I felt that was something special and as a result I started martial arts and athletics in the early years of my life.”
And from the very beginning, a young Sam would regularly return home with gold medals and trophies.
His latest success at a national level has been a career highlight for Sam.
“So thrilled and I felt I’d passed another milestone in my martial art career,” he said. “Of course, I want to thank my instructor, Jason Denker, for introducing me to the taekwondo world and Master Alex Sootho, from Musa Taekwondo in Sydney, for passing his wisdom and training for me for the state and national titles.”
While Sam wouldn’t describe himself as a ‘superman’, he admits balancing a busy work and family life with his intense training regime is a test. But he pays tribute to his wife and two children.
“I couldn’t do it without their support and understanding. As you can imagine, I have a very busy work schedule. I have to magically create extra hours for the day, and I make sure I have the weekends and most of the evenings free for my family.
As for his future in the sport? “It never stops. The harder I try, the more I can achieve.”
While double national gold was a dream come true for Sam, he’s now setting his sights even higher.
“Of course, I’d love to represent Australia in the World Taekwondo Championships. I want to carry the Australian flag to the worlds, so I feel I’ve done something special for my country.”
