3rd June 2023

Aaliyah Powell won her third World Championship bronze medal in four years for GB Taekwondo on the penultimate day of competition in Azerbaijan.

Yorkshire star Powell, who gained her maiden medal as a 16-year-old at Manchester 2019, took the Manchester-trained squad’s medal tally in Baku to four.

The Huddersfield fighter was poised to reach her first World final after putting out South Korea’s Min-seo Namin in the last eight, one of her four victories during the day.

Faced by Russian-born Liliia Khuzina, competing as an athlete of neutrality, Powell, 20, made a great start to their bout at -62kg by winning the opening round 9-6.

However, Khuzina fought back to take the final two rounds and deny the British athlete, who also secured bronze in Mexico last year, further progress.

Khuzina went onto claim the title at the expense of Brazil’s Caroline Santos.

It wasn’t to be though for Nottingham’s Cameron Booth, beaten in the last 32 at -74kg by Serbia’s Stefan Takov.

Powell is one of 12 taekwondo athletes representing Team GB at the European Games in Poland later this month.

GB Taekwondo’s latest podium placing followed on from a bronze for triple world champion, Bianca Cook at +73kg, silver for Scotland’s Rebecca McGowan at -73kg and Bradly Sinden’s -68kg gold on the opening day of the tournament.

Powell’s fellow Yorkshire fighter, Caden Cunningham, will look to round off a successful Championships in the men’s heavyweight division on Sunday.

Cook’s bid for a record-breaking fourth World gold was ended by Uzbekistan’s defending champion and eventual silver medallist, Svetlana Osipova, in the semi-finals of the heavyweight division.

“It is not the colour I wanted to end with but the journey I have had over the past few months to even be on the mat was an achievement,” said the Liverpudlian star.

Great Britain currently sit fifth on a medal table by South Korea with three golds and one silver.