"grand prix will be as tough as olympics" says olympian lutalo muhammad!

8/13/2019 "Grand Prix will be as Tough as Olympics" says Olympian Lutalo Muhammad!

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MUHAMMAD - GRAND PRIX WILL BE ASTOUGH AS OLYMPICS

LUTALO Muhammad is gearing up for the toughest competition of his career at the inauguralWTF World Taekwondo Grand Prix in Manchester this weekend.

And the London 2012 bronze medallist refuses to be side tracked by external hype ofa potential meeting with former GB Academy team mate, Aaron Cook, in Saturday's explosive-80kg weight division.

"I realise it would be a significant fight because of the history involved," agrees the reigning -87kg European champion. "But-if it happens-it is really just another fight.

"There are 30 other guys who I need to worry about: Olympic and World champions keen toshow why they won those titles.

"So, Aaron really isn't my big concern even if other people want to focus on it."

Certainly, Muhammad, one of 13 GB stars fighting over three days at the historic Grand Prix(December 13-15), will need to bring his A game to the Manchester Central taekwondo party.

Argentina's Olympic champion, Sebastian Crismanich, is among his opponents, so too 2011World gold medallist and current world number one, Ramin Azizov from Azerbaijan plusGermany’s 2013 World champion, Tahir Gulec . Just for good measure, Spaniard Nicolas GarciaHemme defeated Muhammad in London last summer before going on to complete hiscollection of Olympic, World and European silver medals.

"The -80kg division is one of the hallmark categories in taekwondo right now and one ofthe more competitive categories," agrees the 22-year-old Londoner.



"With so many top players coming to Manchester it really will be as tough as the Olympics.Maybe at the Worlds of Europeans, if you get one of the 'quote unquote' smaller countriesyou can perhaps get an easier first round match.

"But there will be no easy opponents on Saturday. However, my mind set has always been 'ifyou intend to win a tournament, you have to beat everyone at some point anyway.'

"Whoever I draw first it doesn't bother me. I intend going all the way to the final to win goldregardless."

Muhammad showed he can handle pressure at last summer's Olympics, recovering from aquarter-final defeat to Garcia Hemme to take bronze with a brilliant 9-3 destruction of highlyrated Arman Yeremyan from Armenia. And with another home crowd to please he's up for thechallenge.

"I have marked my day on the calendar as 'show time,' laughed the cool and confident BritishNational champion.”I know what I am prepare d to do.

"We have had our disappointments this year, especially at the World Championship inMexico. But for me that was a blip and I honestly believe we are in great form and ready to goas a group to show the people of Britain what we can do."

The World Grand Prix is the first event of its kind ever staged and competitors are battling forRio 2016 qualification points as well as podium places. Britain's squad includes -57kg Olympicchampion Jade Jones, Beijing Olympian and -63kg European champion Michael Harvey,

London 2012 Olympian Martin Stamper and Jordan Gayle, one of three Mancunians fightingon home territory, and a winner over Stamper on his way to this season's -68kg Serbian Opentitle.

Order of Play

Friday, December 13:Men:+80kg: Mahama Cho (London)

Women:-49kg: Georgia Barnes (Southampton);

+67kg : Bianca Walkden (Liverpool) and Stephanie Allen (Battersea).

Saturday, December 14:Men:-58kg: Dominic Brookes (Manchester),

-80kg: Andrew Deer (Tamworth) and Lutalo Muhammad (Walthamstow).

Women:

- 67kg: Maria Reynolds (Liverpool)

"grand prix will be as tough as olympics" says olympian lutalo muhammad!

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