Fredson Gomes (born October 25, 1982) is a Cape Verdean-American who has represented both his native country and his home country (Cape Verde and the United States, respectively) all over the world: Egypt, South Korea, Greece, Germany, China, Libya, England, France and of course, Nigeria where he became the first Cape Verdean, in sporting history, to win a gold medal in international competition - VIII All-African Games.  Over the past sixteen years, Fredson Gomes has received several accolades in both national and international competition.

Gomes was born on the Island of Sao Vicente, Cabo Verde to parents Jacinto (Djessa) and Geraldina (Didina) Gomes. When he was six, the family emigrated from the islands to the US, where Fredson would begin his martial arts career. Being the first and only son of a legend Cape Verdean soccer player, Fredson was expected to follow in the family tradition but had no interest in kicking a soccer ball; instead chose to kick opponents in the ring.

Fredson began studying the martial arts in 1993, at the early age of 10, under the brothers Jota and Ricardo Rosa (East Coast Taekwondo, formerly Boston Taekwondo). The Rosa brothers had a deep understanding and disciplined approach to the martial arts and instilled that same passion in Gomes. As a result, eight years later, he was revered as one of the top competitors, winning gold at the most prestigious tournament in Sport Karate, the 2001 U.S. Open Karate Championships (Florida, USA).

After his reign in the Sport Karate circuit, he was discovered by Master Joseph Pina. Master Pina would switch his focus and make Taekwondo, an Olympic sport, his priority. In his first year of competition, in the new discipline, he had the Massachusetts State Title, the Rhode Island State Title and a National Gold Medal to his name. The following year, in 2003, he would be chosen to represent the Cape Verde Islands in the World University Games (Daegu, Korea) and lost a hard fought battle in the quarter-finals.

Fredson, however, did not let this discourage him; he focused more intensely on his training and would be crowned the All-African Champion in only his second international appearance. In one day, he won a total of 12 rounds (4 opponents) and made history for the Cape Verde Islands by becoming the first to win international gold.

In 2004, Fredson would qualify the Cape Verde-Islands for a chance at the wild card position, winning Bronze in Cairo, Egypt, for the Olympic Games (Athens, Greece). A result that allowed him to participate in the Opening Ceremonies and attend the Olympic Games as an Olympic Attaché, but not compete. After the Olympics, Fredson became a member of the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) US National team and represented the United States at the German Open, an international competition held in Bonn, Germany. See Competition Record.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) also saw some promise in the young fighter and awarded him the Olympic Solidarity Scholarship, a recognition and grant to assist elite athletes in their preparation and qualification for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad in Beijing. "Training for the 2008 Olympic Games was a really difficult time for me. I was working on finishing up with school and had my daughter on the way, so my training suffered," explains the champion. Despite his lack of preparation leading up to the Qualification tournament in Tripoli (Libya), Fredson put on a stellar performance, almost upsetting the heavily favored Moroccan heavyweight, losing in sudden death. At the moment, Fredson has no plans of chasing another Olympic berth.

Gomes now holds a business degree from the College of Business Administration (CBA) at Northeastern University – Boston. He also represented Northeastern University in the Collegiate Nationals and became the 2007 National Collegiate Champion. His contributions to the school did not go unnoticed and was elected as the “Who’s Who” of College students, nationwide. 

An active community member, Fredson Gomes has contributed enormously to the City of Brockton, Massachusetts. In 2000, he represented Brockton as a member of the All-America City Committee. As a result of a team effort, Brockton was voted one of the top 100 cities in America.  Currently, he is at the forefront of a Community Development Corporation (Self Help, Inc.), focusing on improving the quality of life for Brockton residents who have been economically marginalized. Fredson is a brother of Iota Phi Theta Fraternity, Incorporated and on the Board of Directors for the Cape Verdean Association in Brockton.

Recently Gomes achieved the rank of Master and decided to open a Martial Arts school, Modern Taekwondo Center, in the greater Boston area with his partner and longtime friend, Chris Tuozzolo. Fredson is the proud father of a two year old baby girl, Sadie Alessandra Gomes and owns a home in the South Shore.  He also has an active real estate license and works as a consultant for American Real Estate, a division of the Germaine Realty Group

In his free time, he enjoys playing Flag Football, Basketball, Soccer, and Golf with his friends. 

For more information on Fredson, check out his videos on (YouTube.com) or simply Google: Fredson Gomes.

Please be sure to visit this site for up to date news on Fredson Gomes.