Hometown Hero Becomes GB’s First Male Champion At just 20 years of age, Bradly Sinden has managed what no British man has done before: Sinden is Team GB’s first-ever male World Champion. Speaking to him on the sidelines of the event after his 24-19 victory over Spanish favorite Javier Perez Polo in the M-68kg, it was apparent he was taking it all in his stride. “It is amazing, it still hasn’t sunk in,” he said. “I went out there to see what I could do. Ultimately, I put the work in and that is what got me the gold medal. It is the only thing I came here for, and I am really happy I got it.” How does it feel to be the first? “Being Britain’s first male champion is also great and I am really lucky to be the first one from the team,” he said. “The girls are so dominant in the sport, so the men need to step up our competition.” Indeed, Team GB’s top-notch female squad is well known and feared across the game; the men’s squad, less so. Still, for Sinden, even though the women are the most recognizable faces in British taekwondo, there is no gender rivalry between them. “I want the team to do well, I want everyone to do well,” he said. “There is a bit of friendly competitive banter, but we all support each other.”
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Regardless of male or female, hometown advantage seems to be real. “It’s even better that I am on home soil,” Sinden said. “It is great to hear everyone cheering me on and having my family here to support me.” Clearly, though, the road to Manchester has been rocky: A late-season defeat in Wuxi required a major rethink. “After my emotional defeat during the Grand Slam last December, I looked at what I needed to do better,” he said. “I implemented everything I needed to change in my next three events leading up to the World Championships and went to training camp. “My fighting style is aggressive, but I believe in my flexibility, fitness and ability 100%. I have the best fitness in the game and as an athlete, I believe in my coach.” “I knew I had to be physically and mentally strong - if you’re not mentally strong you can’t do anything.” With the world title, he has broken a jinx. Now, he is targeting another first. “I want to come home with the first men’s Olympic gold medal. I have had a lot to improve on, but I have a lot of drive.” Will he manage it? Watch this space.
Choue Meets Refugee Team in Manchester on Eve of Battle
World Taekwondo President Chungwon Choue met with members of the Refugee Team on May 17, just ahead of their participation in the Manchester 2019 World Taekwondo Championships. This year’s championships are the first in World Taekwondo history to feature a Refugee Team and this reflects the federation’s commitment to providing oppor-
MANCHESTER 2019 WORLD TAEKWONDO CHAMPIONSHIPS
ATHLETE IN FOCUS Bradly Sinden
tunities for all to practice the sport. During the meeting, Choue encouraged the athletes to compete at their very best in the Olympic qualification tournament in Milano and encouraged them not to give up their hopes of competing at the Olympic Games. The members of the Refugee Team are: • Abdulah Sediqi (Belgium, M-68kg) • Kasra Mehdipournejad (Germany, M-74kg) • Dina Pouryounes Langeroudi (Netherlands, W-46kg) • Amir Mohammad Hosseini (Germany, M-58kg) Taekwondo is a sport that can be practised by anyone and the federation has made excellent progress in delivering opportunities for refugees and displaced people to engage in it.
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