8th June 2018

GB Taekwondo will field a five-strong squad at the first ever World Taekwondo Europe Open Multi European Games in Bulgaria this weekend.

Yorkshire prospect Jacob Barnett competes at -68kg alongside Peter Longobardi-Radford and is excited by the chance to shine on an international stage.

“Training has been going well and I am feeling fighting fit,” says the 22-year-old from Bradford.

“Being on the team has developed me massively in all aspects of my game especially in the past couple of months,” added Jacob, a winner of the Austrian Open last year.

“I’m really looking forward to fighting and getting back in the ring,” added Barnett, who joined the Manchester-based Academy through the Fighting Chance talent ID initiative.

Longobardi-Radford returns to Bulgaria after winning bronze at the Sofia Open earlier this year. And he returns to competition for the first time since taking bronze again at the European Championships in Russia.

The duo are joined by: Hassan Haider, Damon Sansum and Cameron Booth.

Also heading to Plovdiv are three GB Para athletes taking part in the Para European Championships on Sunday including Amy Truesdale chasing a fifth Euro gold medal.

“My last two competitions I haven’t produced my best performance,” says world number one Truesdale.

“So, I want to do better this time. There are more ranking points for a start but it would be nice to keep up the trend of winning European medals.

For Londoner, Joseph Lane he is relishing a first ever Para European Championship.

“I just want to embrace the experience and have a good time,” said Joseph. “And I am feeling fresh and sharp.”

“Being in the Academy is good for everyone. It feels so natural and everyone is training a lot harder.

“I want to be a sponge. I want to learn as much as I can from everyone.”

And Amy added: “It is a lot better now there is a team around me.

“We all know what each other is going through. We have a similar disability and we motivate each other really well.

“Even though there are many different personalities we have all hit it off immediately.”

Schedule

WTE Multi Europe Open Multi European Games

Male:

Saturday, June 9

-58kg: Hassan Haider (Falkirk)
-80kg: Damon Sansum (Elgin)

Sunday, June 10

-63kg: Cameron Booth (Nottingham)
-68kg: Jacob Barnett (Bradford), Peter Longobardi-Radford (Rye)

Euro Para Championships

Sunday, June 10

Male:

-75kg (K44): Joseph Lane (London)
+75kg (K44): Matt Bush (Haverfordwest)

Female:

+58kg (K44): Amy Truesdale (Chester)