Aaron Cook Spectacularly Knockouts World And Olympic Champion To Win World Taekwondo Tour

Aaron Cook recorded the greatest victory of his career on Saturday as he knocked out current World Champion Steven Lopez in the second round of the final, to win the -80kg gold at the inaugural World Taekwondo Tour which took place in Mexico City on 14 November 2009. Cook picked up a $30,000 top prize, the largest single award ever won by a British taekwondo athlete.

Aaron Cook, who narrowly missed out on a podium finish at the Beijing Olympics as a 17 year-old, knocked out his experienced opponent in the second round with a stunning head kick. Thirty one year-old Lopez (USA), who is the greatest taekwondo athletes ever having won five World Championships and two Olympic Games, was facing Dorset athlete Cook for the first time in his career. Cook said, “[Steven] Lopez is a great athlete and has been top of the sport for a long time now. I knew that an opponent with his experience was always going to be tough but I never doubted my ability.”

“I wanted to finish the year on a high and put in a top performance at this competition. It is amazing to have taken the gold and to have beaten the World Champion in doing so makes it the greatest victory in my career so far.”

The knockout kick and final round of the match can be viewed below:
 

Final results can be found on the World Taekwondo Federation webpage:
www.wtf.org

Gary Hall, Performance Director of Taekwondo Team GB, commented, “We are thrilled with the result, not only because he beat an all time great but also the manner of the victory. Lopez is one of the sport’s most successful athletes of recent times and Aaron has proved once again that he is more than capable of competing on the world’s biggest stage.”

World Taekwondo Tour official webpage www.world-taekwondo-tour.com