Taekwondo’s Stevenson fired by personal loss
Ranked second in the world, women’s taekwondo 67kg hopeful Sarah Stevenson says she will compete at London 2012 in memory of her parents, both of whom died last year.
Sarah Stevenson is the current world champion for her weight, and this will be the fourth Olympics for the 29-year-old. Her best finish was in Beijing in 2008 when she took bronze, becoming the first British Olympic medalist in taekwondo.
It’s a sport that gets little coverage, but success for Stevenson could change that and inspire a new generation of taekwondo stars.
In the world rankings she is currently second to China’s Yuzhuo Hou and just ahead of Helena Fromm of Germany. However for sheer determination and guts, Stevenson deserves gold following a harrowing year of personal loss.
Taekwondo at London 2012
10 Aug: Women's 67kg
0900: preliminary round
1500: quarter-finals
1700: semi-finals
2000: bronze
2215: finalThe competition consists of a single elimination tournament. The winners of each contest qualify for the next round, with the two finalists going head to head in the gold medal contest.
Both parents of the Doncaster fighter were diagnosed with life-threatening illnesses just weeks before she triumphed at last May’s World Championships in South Korea. In October her mother passed away, just three months after her father died.
Stevenson has made no secret of her desire to win gold at London 2012 in memory of her parents, and it would seem a fitting tribute.
She suffered a setback earlier this year when she sustained an injury at a training camp in Mexico and underwent cruciate ligament surgery.
That forced her out of May’s European Championships in Manchester, but she has recovered in time to earn her place at the 2012 Games and, hopefully, a spot in the 67kg category final on the evening of 10 August.
