Beth Munro led the way for Great Britain as the World Para-Taekwondo Grand Prix III got off to a flying start in Manchester.
The 29-year-old clinched gold in the World Para-Taekwondo Grand Prix III to mark the first day of success at the Regional Arena in Manchester.
More than 200 athletes from 50 nations came today to compete for their chance to reach the Grand Prix finals in December 2022.
Munro struck gold in the 65kg category with her carefully calculated counterattacks and clinch work.
Amy Truesdale fought ferociously, with an aggressive fighting style, to clinch silver in 65kg+ and Joe Lane landed a -80kg bronze medal after a tough match in the semi-finals.
Upon her win, Munro said: “I’m absolutely ecstatic.
“I’m glad that the Grand Prix is in Manchester, on home turf and that we para athletes actually get to have a Grand Prix.
“A massive thanks to all the support and a thank you to everyone that made this happen.”
Truesdale gained her first win against Serbia by cutting angles to score against her taller opponent, receiving only a single Gam-jeom within the five-minute round.
Munro, not far behind her teammate, struck her first win against France, standing her ground with a more defensive fighting style.
Lane gained his first win against Ukraine by reaching the max 40 points (40 – 30) with only five seconds left of the round thanks to his forceful roundhouse kicks, despite receiving six Gam-jeom.
Lane said: “It was a bit tough to be honest, with it being the first fight of the day, it’s always a bit of a struggle, but it’s out of the system now.
“The crowd really helped me get through it, that’s why I love fighting at home.
“You face a bit of adversity, but the crowd always gets me through, big thanks to the crowd.”
Truesdale gained another victory in the semi-finals by closing down on her opponent using the clinch, allowing her to dominate the ring.
Munro narrowly secured her place in the finals by two points in the final seconds of the match against Brazil.
Lane was challenged in the semi-finals, including some technical difficulties regarding his chest guard, but lost to Uzbekistan by five points, leaving the ring with a bronze.
Munro struck gold in the finals as she controlled the match using clinch work against Denmark, with only a single time-out at 2:07, the match went smoothly.
Truesdale fought with tenacity, even after the interruption of a rejected video replay from Uzbekistan, she was just out of reach of the gold after an intense final match.
The Grand Prix continues over the weekend with Jade Jones and Bradley Sinden set to compete in Saturday, and Bianca Cook competing on Sunday.
Note: Para fights work slightly differently from regular taekwondo fights.
Instead of rounds, they have 5mins total and each coach can call for a single 30-second time-out within that 5mins. No headshots are allowed.
