WHEN Donvale's Kanica May was being bullied in primary school, taking up taekwondo seemed just the thing to increase her self-esteem. "My parents thought I needed something to help me interact and feel stronger," she said.

"It definintely made me feel a lot more in control and you have a lot of people supporting and encouraging you, which is good."

Eight years later Kanica, 15, is now a rising star in the sport and so is her younger brother Daryl, 13.

The siblings - who train at Joon No's Taekwondo in Templestowe - returned from Malaysia at the end of July after competing at the 2011 International Taekwondo Championships where Daryl placed first and Kanica third in their age divisions.

"It was tiring and a bit nerve-wracking but it felt good to place first," Daryl said.

"It's my dream to be an Olympian so I like competing overseas." Kanica, who attends Doncaster Secondary College, said she was happy the sport was such a big part of their family's life. "We're training for Nationals on the Gold Coast in September now so it's something we look forward to."

Kanica and Daryl are Manningham Leader junior Sports Star nominees.