The Queen's High School pupil was competing in the pre-junior sparring event at the world championships in Jamaica in August, when the ''pretty weird'' one-point loss occurred.
''I was winning . . . then after the time ran out it [the score] just changed. I didn't even see this point,'' she said.
The ''pretty gutting'' loss might faze some people, but Jahnas is using it as motivation to go one step further at the world championships in Paraguay in 2016.
Jahnas, who has been doing taekwondo for seven years and does not have time for any other sports, is a member of the Otago University taekwondo club.
Usually members have to study at the university, but Jahnas has been training there since she was 11 and became the youngest member when she joined the club earlier this year.
Jahnas, a year 10 pupil, has had plenty of success nationally to go along with her strong showing in Jamaica this year.
She finished first at the South Island regionals in Nelson in patterns, power and sparring, before finishing second in speciality.
At the national championships, she finished first in the intermediate 1-4 gup sparring.
Jahnas was one of five flag bearers for New Zealand at the world championships after one person was picked from each region.
She also became the youngest person to be named best overall senior at the this year's Otago taekwondo awards.
The Queen's High School pupil, who trains six times a week, is even training others - something she must do for six months to get her black belt next year.
While there are no more competitions this year, Jahnas is already training for next year's regional and national competitions.
- Robert van Royen
FAST LANE
Name: Jahnas Barbarich-Stevenson (15).
School: Queen's High School.
Sport: Taekwondo.
Achievements: Second in pre-junior sparring at world championships in Jamaica, flag bearer at world championships, first intermediate 1-4 gup sparring at national championships, first in patterns and sparring at the South Island regionals in Nelson.
