Bianca Walkden took gold for GB at the first ever SportAccord Martial Arts Games in Beijing, continuing the recent run of British success in taekwondo. The Liverpool athlete improved on her bronze from the European Taekwondo Championships earlier this year to grab top spot in China.

Walkden faced current World Champion and Olympic bronze medallist, Gwladys Epangue, in the +67kg final, having already defeated +73kg World Champion, Rosanna Simon Alamo. The only point of the match was won by the Brit and will send Walkden to World top three status when the new rankings are announced.

British Taekwondo is enjoying a huge amount of success at the moment, scooping two gold and two bronze in St Petersburg at the European Taekwondo Championships and Jade Jones winning gold in the 2010 Youth Olympic Games in Singapore.

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Related stories:

Taekwondo: Going for gold in Manchester ^[1]

Taekwondo: Jones gives GB first Youth Olympic gold ^[2]

Taekwondo: Sarah Stevenson tops world rankings ^[3]

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The current standard demonstrated by the British athletes boosts confidence for the British International Championships which take place in Manchester later this month as well as paving the way for success in London 2012.

Gary Hall, Performance Director of BTCB, commented, ‘continued impressive results in some of the biggest events has really put this national team up amongst some of the best in the world’. Judging from recent performances, the British Taekwondo deserves its place at the top.

Kirsty Page, Sportsister
The Women’s Sports Magazine