Double Olympic champion Jade Jones heads up Team GB’s taekwondo team for Tokyo – but two-time medal winner Lutalo Muhammad faces more agony over the Games after missing out
- Team GB have revealed their five-strong taekwondo team for the Tokyo Games
- Double Olympic champion Jade Jones heads up the talented group this year
- Bianca Walkden and Lauren Williams are the three women jetting out to Japan
- Lutalo Muhammad has missed out with Mahama Cho selected ahead of him
- Bradley Sinden, the world champion from 2019, rounds off the Olympics team
Double Olympic champion Jade Jones heads Great Britain’s five-strong taekwondo team for Tokyo – but two-time medallist Lutalo Muhammad has missed out on a place on the plane.
Team GB have announced that Jones, three-time world champion Bianca Walkden and Olympic debutant Lauren Williams will be the three women going to the Games.
The two male athletes selected are 2019 world champion Bradley Sinden and 2017 world silver medallist Mahama Cho, who has been picked over Muhammad in the heavyweight category.
Double Olympic champion Jade Jones heads up Team GB’s taekwondo team for Tokyo 2020
It is more Olympic agony for Muhammad, who won bronze at London 2012 and then famously missed out on gold at Rio 2016 in the last second to Ivorian Cheick Sallah Cisse.
But Team GB will be going to next month’s Games with arguably their strongest ever taekwondo squad, as leading lady Jones looks to make history by winning a third straight gold.
Team GB chef de mission Mark England said: ‘This is an extremely strong team – a double Olympic champion, an Olympic bronze medallist and a triple world and European champion – amongst various junior and European titles – is extremely impressive and demonstrates the strength of talent this sport has.
Three-time world champion Bianca Walkden has also been included in the five-strong group
‘As we move ever closer to qualifying more female than male athletes for the Games for the first time, it is fantastic to name three very strong and experienced female athletes within this team.
‘The blend of returning Olympians and debutants is very exciting and we have no doubt that they will inspire a new generation of boys and girls from Tokyo this summer.’
Gary Hall, GB Taekwondo performance director, added: ‘It is the largest number of athletes that we have ever qualified. With the Games in Rio we sent four in total, but this is the first time that we’ve had the entire group qualify via world rankings only.
Lutalo Muhammad (above) missed out with Mahama Cho picked in the heavyweight category
‘Within the team, we have three world champions – Bianca Walkden, Jade Jones and Bradly Sinden – along with two other fighters (Mahama Cho and Lauren Williams) who are currently ranked in the top six of the world and have significant medal success under their belts.
‘It is an incredibly strong and experienced squad. Not only that, but we have a great staff and coaching team supporting them too.
‘We’ve prepared the best we can, but still have more preparation to do. We have a brilliant plan for when we arrive in Tokyo with replica rings and we will be as best equipped as we can be.’