Ten years after the inaugural edition of the World Taekwondo Grand Prix Final in 2013, the event returns to Manchester where it all began, as the world’s 16 best fighters in each weight category fight for gold.
For three days this weekend the heart of World Taekwondo will be beating at the Manchester Regional Arena as athletes from all over the world battle for the coveted gold medal and maximum points towards their ranking score, which will get them on a plane to next year’s Olympic Games in Paris.
The World Taekwondo Grand Prix series is the most prestigious competition of World Taekwondo, other than the World Championships, and only the best athletes compete.
Three Grand Prix took place in 2023 in Rome, Paris and Taiyuan before the final event of the series in Manchester.
This will be the sixth time Manchester has hosted a Grand Prix event but only the second that it will be the final (first in 2013).
Manchester, as the home of British Taekwondo, is the most popular destination of the series, having featured six times.
This year’s edition is probably the most important of them all as December 3 marks the end of the period in which athletes can add points to their Olympic Ranking tally.
The top five athletes in each weight category qualify directly to Paris and the Manchester event is the last chance they can acquire points.
Team GB will have a strong team participating headlined by two-time Olympic Champion Jade Jones in the women’s -57kg category and 2020 Olympic silver medalist and reigning World Champion Bradly Sinden in the men’s -68kg category.
Also featured in the team are two-time Olympic bronze medalist Bianca Walkden in the women’s +67kg category, 20-year-old, European Games gold medalist, Caden Cunningham in the men’s +80kg category and 2020 Olympic silver medalist Lauren Williams in the women’s -67kg category.
Sinden, Cunningham and Jones all currently sit pretty high in the rankings and just need a safe competition to officially punch their ticket for Paris. Walkden and Rebecca McGowan are just outside the top five in the women’s heavyweight and hope that can improve that in Manchester.
Soon!
— World Taekwondo (@worldtaekwondo) November 28, 2023
𝗠𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗵𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟯 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱 𝗧𝗮𝗲𝗸𝘄𝗼𝗻𝗱𝗼 𝗚𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗣𝗿𝗶𝘅 𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹!
【Dec. 2-3, 2023】
Live streaming on #WorldTaekwondo website or Youtube!
Dec. 1: https://t.co/vJBWRtUc3x
Dec 2-3: https://t.co/WXAMTDV6cY #Taekwondo#Manchester2023WTGPFinal pic.twitter.com/j7jImiGYfw
The first day of the competition will be dedicated to Para-Taekwondo, featuring 2020 Paralympic medalists Beth Munro and Amy Truesdale among others.
Tickets are on sale here.
Image credit: British Taekwondo
