Olympic bronze medal winner Lutalo Muhammad is gunning for gold at the National Taekwondo Championships in Manchester this weekend.
The Manchester trained fighter – based at the GB academy in Newton Heath – will be competing on home soil for the first time since winning his medal at London 2012.
Lutalo, 22, wants to add to his medal collection, which also contains a European championship gold from last year.
He said: “I like to keep busy and to fight as often as I can so the Nationals present a great opportunity to do just that. I have never won a National senior title and this is a chance to change all that. I think I was only 18 when I last did the Championships and finished up with a silver medal.”
This weekend will be the first tournament he has entered since being knocked out of the world championships in Mexico in the last 16, by Cuban rival Rafael Castillo.
With no medals won, it was a frustrating return for a British squad looking to build on success at both majors last year, the Olympics and European Championships.
Lutalo said: “It was a massive disappointment. I trained hard and all the coaches put a lot of work into the squad. But sometimes sport can kick you in the teeth.”
The Londoner is part of a compact Academy squad, which also features George Lee (+-74kg) and 2011 National Champion Andrew Deer (-80kg). Stephanie Allen (+73kg) is the sole female representative after regaining fitness.
Over 600 fighters will compete across two days at the National Cycling Centre, SportsCity, a record number of entrants for the nationals.
This is the last major event Manchester will hold before hosting the first World Grand Prix in December, with Olympians Jade Jones and Martin Stamper in action, along with hometown favourite Michael Harvey.
This weekend’s competition starts at 9.30 both days, with all day tickets costing £11 for adults and £6 for children. Tickets are sold on the door only so get there early to get a good seat.
Photo courtsey of GB Taekwondo, with thanks
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