GB BOSS HAILS RECORD EUROPEAN MEDAL HAUL BEFORE OLYMPIC SELECTION
GB Performance Director Gary Hall saluted his squad's "exceptional" performance at the European Championships in Manchester.
But Hall insists "there's still plenty of hard work ahead" before this summer's Olympics.
Hall will sit down soon with his fellow selectors to formulate his four strong team for London 2012 with an announcement to be made on May 25.
He does so against the backdrop of a record breaking Euros that yielded seven medals, including two in four of the Olympic weight division, and the overall team prize for the men's squad.
And with world champion Sarah Stevenson making excellent progress from a training camp knee injury last February, Hall has good reason to be optimistic.
"It was a great championship for us and there were some phenomenal performances especially Lutalo (Muhammad), Aaron (Cook) and Michael (Harvey) all putting golds on the table," he said.
"Martin Stamper's performance was very good and Bianca Walkden was desperately unlucky not to get in to the medal zone.
"But there were exceptional performances by the team.
"The selectors have to do their jobs now but we know when we get to London we will have a strong team.
"However, we have got hard work to do before them.
"In a full contact sport, you do sometimes get injuries. And we have to make sure the number one and number two (reserve) are fit and ready to play during the Olympics."
Stevenson, out of action for exactly a year due to family issues and her injury, missed the Euros as she continues her rehabilitation.
Despite her inactivity, the Doncaster star, forced to relinquish her European crown without a kick in anger, remains in the frame for Olympic selection at -67 kg.
"Sarah has been constantly working out from 8.30 in the morning to 7.30 at night," explained Hall.
"She has done everything as we would expect from a full on professional to get ready for selction.
"In the last couple of weeks, we have watched her doing kicking sessions and she looks rreally good.
"There is still some combat and contact work to be done.
"But if you envisage where we thought she might be, she is well ahead of that.
"And that's testimony to all the staff as well as Sarah. We have got a world class coaching team.
"They know what this job is about and that makes a huge difference over other nations.
"But we also have a great nutritionist, psychologist, administration staff, performance analyst and strength and conditioning staff.
"They know what this is all about. They proved that at last year's historic world championships and now at this year's historic European Championships.
"Results only come through hard work and knowledge."
Off the mat, the four day championships-the first ever held in the UK-proved a resounding success.
The final two days action attracted sell out crowds totalling 2,200. And more than a 1,000 Manchester school children sampled taekwondo for the first time thanks to GB Taekwondo's recent initiative in partnership with sponsors Laing O'Rourke.
*Britain's Olympic squad will comprise two male players (-68kg and -80kg) and two female players (-57kg and -67kg). Four reserves will also be selected.
EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP RESULTS
Thursday, May 3
-54kg
Amin Badr
Round one: bye
Last 16: bt Milos Gladovic (Serbia) 9-8
Quarter-final: bt Varag Aghajanyan (Armenia) 8-5
Semi-final: lost 15-9 to Mikayil Aliyev (Azerbaijan)
+87kg
Damon Sansum
Round one: lost to 7-6 (golden point) to Volker Wodzich (Germany)
-46kg
Jemma Johnson
Round one: lost 6-4 to Sondess Ben Tahar (France)
Other results:
-46 kg final: Ioanna Koutsou (Greece) bt Elaia Torrontegui (Spain) 5-3
-54kg final: Seyfula Magomedev (Russia) bt Mikayil Aliyev (Azerbaijan) 13-1
-62 kg final: Marlene Harnois (France) bt Marina Sumic (Croatia) 11-6
+87 kg final: Leonardo Basile (Italy) bt Ivan Trajkovic (Slovenia) 7-6
Friday, May 4
-58 kg
Dominic Brookes
Round one: lost 1-0 to Marios Tsourdinis (Greece)
-87kg:
Lutalo Muhammad
Round one: bt Christophe Decker (Austria) 3-0, knockout.
Last 16: bt Jon Aguado Garcia (Spain) 10-4
Quarter-final: bt Nikola Bojo (Croatia) 12-11 (golden point)
Semi-final: bt Ali Sari (Turkey) 5-4
Final: bt Augustin Bata (France) 10-4
+73kg
Stephanie Allen
Round one: lost 17-5 to Olga Ivanova (Russia).
Other results:
-49KG Lucija Zaninovic (Croatia) bt Kristina Kim (Russia) 10-1
-58kg: Joel Gonzalez Bonilla (Spain) bt Moussa Cisse (France) 11-1
+73kg: Anne Caroline Graffe (France) bt Rosanna Alamo (Spain) d/q.
Saturday, May 5
-63 kg
Michael Harvey
Round two: bt Sami Lahtinen (Finland) 13-1
Quarter-final: bt Andrei Rotaru (Moldova) 25-14
Semi-final: bt Mario Silva (Portugal) 5-3.
Final: bt Vasileios Gaitanis (Greece) 14-2
-80kg:
Aaron Cook
Round one: bye
Round two: bt Ynoussa Sawadogo (France) 13-11
Quarter-final bt Tahir Guelec (Germany) 5-3
Semi-final: bt Nicolas Garcia Hemme (Spain) 10-8
Final: bt Ramin Azizov (Azerbaijan) opponent disqualified.
-57kg:
Jade Jones
Round one: bye
Round two: bt Nikita Glasnovic (Sweden) 12-0
Quarter-final: bt Deborah Louz (Holland) 10-1
Semi-final: lost 18-8 Edina Kotsis (Hungary)
-73kg
Stella Whitehead
Round one: lost 4-3 to Casandra Ikonen (Sweden) 4-3.
Other results:
-57kg final: Floriane Liborio (France) bt Edina Kotsis (Hungary) 7-4
-73kg final: Anastasia Baryshnikova (Russia) bt Milica Mandic (Serbia) 4-3
Sunday, May 6
-68 kg
Martin Stamper
Round one: bye
Round two: bt Damir Fejzic (Serbia) 6-5
Quarter-final: bt Konstantin Minin (Russia) 16-14
Semi-final: lost 9-6 to Filip Grgic (Croatia) 9-6
-74kg:
Ruebyn Richards
Round one: bt Giorgi Araabuli (Georgia) 8-0
Round two: lost 11-10 to Ilkin Shahbazov (Azerbaijan) 11-10
-53kg:
Caroline Fisher
Round one: bye
Round Two: bt Yulia Chykolba (Ukraine) 5-1
Quarter-final: bt Rebecca Torrado (Spain) 8-1
Semi-final: lost 18-6 to Ana Zaninovic (Croatia) 18-6
-67kg:
Bianca Walkden
Round one: bye
Round two: bt Katarzyna Wieczorek (Poland) 12-11
Quarter-final: lost 22-16 to Petra Matijasevic (Croatia)
Other results:
-53kg final: Hatice Yangin (Turkey) bt Ana Zaninovic (Croatia) 8-7
-67kg final: Nur Tatar (Turkey) bt Haby Niare (France) 11-5
-68kg final: Servet Tazegul (Turkey) w/o Filip Grgic (Croatia)
-74 kg final: Aliaskhab Sirazhov (Russia) bt Ridvan Baygut (Turkey) 6-5.
