Team GB Medal Haul at successful British Taekwondo Championships
Sarah Stevenson on her way to victory at the British Taekwondo Champs
Buoyed by three gold medals, Team GB can reflect on a successful British International Championships which took place at the Manchester Regional Arena on the 29th – 30th August. Olympians Sarah Stevenson and Michael Harvey were joined by Elite Academy athlete, Bianca Walkden in taking gold in their respective -73kg, -63kg and +73kg weight categories.
Sarah took the first of the medals, beating Spanish opponent Sandra Rodelas Lorenzo 9 - 2 as she dominated the final. She said, “My ankle feels fine now and I’ve been fit and training for a while. I’m really happy that my return to major competition has been successful and I feel really good after that final.
“The first couple of matches were more difficult and I couldn’t quite get going. With the new electronic scoring pads, it is a bit harder to score and we all need to adjust our technique slightly. The most important thing is to make the sport as fair as possible.”
Michael Harvey (Hyde) impressed throughout in a particularly competitive -63kg event, ultimately taking the gold medal against French opponent Stevens Barclais 7 – 3. Commenting on his victory, Harvey said, “He beat Martin [Stamper] in the semi-final so I was given a few pointers which helped me out. Everything went to plan in the final and luckily I didn’t have to deviate too much from the tactics we had set out.”
“I felt pretty comfortable with the new electronic scoring and it didn’t effect me too much. Obviously there will be a few kicks that don’t register but I think it’s the same as before when some things weren’t seen. I’m looking forward to using them again at the Worlds in October.
“I enjoyed competing in this tournament again and it’s nice to have a home crowd. I seem to do pretty well in Manchester so let’s hope it continues next year!”
Michael Harvey, one of Team GB's three gold medallists in action.
Bianca Walkden (Liverpool) faced Stephanie Allen (London Regional Team) in an all British +73kg final, Walkden taking gold after winning 4 – 2 in a replica of the 2008 showpiece. Walkden said, “Stephanie has definitely improved since we met last year and whilst I was attacking well in the first and second rounds, she came back a bit in the third.”
Elsewhere in the senior competition, -58kg athlete Tyrone Robinson (Great Britain National Team) took a bronze, as did fellow Brit Caroline Fisher (Scorpion TKD) in the -53kg class.
British juniors were well represented throughout the morning sessions of both event days, achieving several podium finishes. In the male competition, Kieran Young (Ultimate Taekwondo) topped the all British final four in the -44kg whilst Niall Gibson of the same club beat French athlete Lepape Alexandre (Traditional Taekwondo School) in their -55kg final encounter. Ryan Hennessey (OTC) took the final male British victory in -78kg as he beat German opponent Timo Von Schmeitling to win the gold medal.
Sophie Dickson (Lightning TKD) led the way for British junior females, taking top prize after a tightly contested final against Ingibjorg Gretarsdottir of the Icelandic National Team which she won 8 – 7. Lily Leotardi (Spitfire TKD) and local athlete Jade Jones (Manchester Aces) also scooped gold after winning their -46kg and -55kg categories respectively.
Andrew Link, Operations Director of Sport Taekwondo UK and Chairman of the ETU A-class committee said, “After two days of great taekwondo action in Manchester, I’d like to congratulate the medallists and thank all those attended for making the event a success once again.”
“We saw the high quality of matches that we had expected from a strong international field and the experience will have been beneficial to all of our British athletes. With the World Championships coming up in October, it was an important part of our preparation for the team to feature in a tournament as competitive as the British Championships.”
The World Championships in Denmark (9th – 19th October) will use the same new electronic scoring system which was employed at the British Championships.
Senior finals
Male -54kg: Jung Yo Han (KOR) 8 - 6 Eryk Rodzik (POL)
Male -58kg: Levent Tuncat (GER) 0 - 0 WD Boris Winkler (GER)
Male -68kg: Jean Francois Sarr (FRA) 0 - 0 WD Daniel Manz (GER)
Male -63kg: Michael Harvey (GBR) 7 - 3 Stevens Barclais (FRA)
Male -74kg: Lee Seung Hong (KOR) 4 - 3 Alparslan Kantar (GER)
Male -80kg: Kim Jae Hak (KOR) 6 - 0 Nicolas Hemme Garcia (ESP)
Male -87kg: Dae Bae Eol (KOR) 13 - 4 Bjorn Thorleifsson (ISL)
Male +87kg: Ulvi Kaya (GER) 3 - 1 Mickael Borot (FRA)
Female -46kg: Rukiye Yildirim (TUR) 12 - 0 Francine Lahely (FRA)
Female -49kg: Yasmina Aziez (FRA) 6 - 1 Natascha Mitrovits (AUS)
Female -53kg: Suvi Mikkonen (FIN) 17 - 15 Sibel Yildirim (TUR)
Female -57kg: Batel Gatterer (ISR) 8 -4 Jennifer Köpf (GER)
Female -62kg: Jun Eun Kyung (KOR) 10 - 3 Stephanie Ollive (FRA)
Female -67kg: Gwladys Epangue (FRA) 4 - 1 Nikolina Kursar (NOR)
Female -73kg: Sarah Stevenson (GBR) 10 - 2 Sandra Lorenzo Rodelas (ESP)
Female +73kg: Bianca Walkden (GBR) 4 -2 Stephanie Allen (GBR)
British junior awards
Gold
Male -45kg: Kieran Young (Ultimate TKD)
Male -55kg: Niall Gibson (Ultimate TKD)
Male -78kg: Ryan Hennessey (OTC)
Female -46kg: Lily Leotardi (Spitfire TKD)
Female -55kg: Jade Jones (Manchester Aces)
Female -59kg: Sophie Dickson (Lightning TKD)
Silver
Male -45kg: Jamie Abley (Chi Taekwondo)
Male -48kg: Zia Sateri (TKD Tigers)
Male -59kg: John Steele (Ultimate TKD)
Male -63kg: Levi Goodridge (Spitfire TKD)
Male -73kg: Abtin Zafarani (TKD Tigers)
Female -44kg: Shannon Kincade (Heart of England)
Female -46kg: Rachel Dougherty (TKD Tigers)
Female -63kg: Jade Slavin (Chi Taekwondo)
Female -68kg: Sarah Linnell-Stocks (Spitfire TKD)
Female +68kg: Jodie Simpson (Puma TKD)
Bronze
Male -45kg: Tom Walters (Khang Han TKD)
Male -45kg: Jack Herring (Lightning TKD)
Male -51kg: Amin Badr (London Regional Team)
Male -63kg: Elliott Coatsworth (Chi Taekwondo)
Male -68kg: Ryan Uren (Chi Taekwondo)
Male -73kg: Ruebyn Richards (Ultimate TKD)
Female -55kg: Shannen Dunn (Ultimate TKD)
Female -55kg: Kirsty Toone (Ultimate TKD)
Female -59kg: Maisie Large (Sport TKD Plymouth)
Female -59kg: Chloe Herbert (Ultimate TKD)
Female -63kg: Kayleigh Wray (Ultimate TKD)
Female -63kg: Chelsea Hallas (Pulse TKD)
Female -68kg: Alexandra Thomas (BTS)
