Caden Cunningham

Caden Cunningham
Personal information
Full nameCaden Luis Cunningham
NationalityBritish
Born (2003-05-07) 7 May 2003 (age 21)[1][dead link]
Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England
Sport
Country Great Britain
SportTaekwondo
EventHeavyweight
Medal record
Men's taekwondo
Representing  Great Britain
Olympic Games
Silver medal – second place 2024 Paris +80 kg
Grand Prix
Gold medal – first place 2023 Rome +87 kg
Silver medal – second place 2022 Manchester +87 kg
Silver medal – second place 2023 Paris +87 kg
Bronze medal – third place 2022 Rome +87 kg
European Games
Gold medal – first place 2023 Kraków-Małopolska +87 kg
European Championships
Gold medal – first place 2024 Belgrade +87 kg
Updated on 10 August 2024

Caden Luis Cunningham (born 7 May 2003) is a British taekwondo practitioner. He competes in the + 87 kg Heavyweight division.[2]

Early life

Cunningham is from Huddersfield, Yorkshire.[3] He attended King James's School, Almondbury. He trained at Quest Taekwondo[4] as a youngster.

Career

Cunningham was a precocious talent winning his first overseas Taekwondo title in Germany, aged twelve years-old. He was subsequently selected to represent Europe at the Children's Taekwondo Union Europe/Asia Challenge in 2016.[5]

Cunningham become the British Cadet taekwondo champion at the national finals in Manchester in 2017, winning the male −49 kg category. He was subsequently selected to represent Great Britain at the European Championships in Hungary later that year.[6]

In his opening fight of the 2022 World Championships he injured the anterior cruciate ligament in his knee but still won the bout, although he missed several months of competitive action after the tournament.[7]

Cunningham won the +80 kg division at the World Taekwondo Grand Prix held at the Foro Italico, Rome in June 2023. He defeated Nikita Rafalovich of Uzbekistan in the final.[8][9] That month he was also announced in the British squad to take part in the 2023 European Games held in Kraków.[10] Cunningham won the gold medal at the Games in the Men's +87 kg division.[11]

In June 2024, he was selected for the 2024 Paris Olympics.[12] Cunningham won the silver medal in the men's 80+Kg category.[13]

References

  1. ^ "Caden Cunningham". gbtaekwondo.co.uk.
  2. ^ "The Secret Life of a Taekwondo Heavyweight". Team GB. 30 May 2023. Retrieved 11 June 2023.
  3. ^ Dippnall, Poppy (19 October 2022). "Caden Cunningham eager to make impact at taekwondo's World Grand Prix in Manchester". Yorkshire Post. Retrieved 11 June 2023.
  4. ^ "Quest Taekwondo - Cayden Cunningham Seminar". Quest Taekwondo. 17 September 2024. Retrieved 30 October 2024.
  5. ^ Booth, Mel (13 February 2016). "Huddersfield's Caden Cunningham gets selection for Europe after taekwondo gold in Germany". Examiner Live. Retrieved 11 June 2023.
  6. ^ "National titles for two Quest Taekwondo Huddersfield youngsters". Yorkshire Live. 22 September 2017. Retrieved 11 June 2023.
  7. ^ Ostlere, Lawrence (24 July 2024). "Meet Caden Cunningham, GB's Olympic Taekwondo star and part-time model chasing gold at Paris 2024". The Independent. Retrieved 24 July 2024.
  8. ^ Burke, Patrick (9 June 2023). "British double and Rashitov gold on first day of World Taekwondo Grand Prix in Rome". Retrieved 11 June 2023.
  9. ^ "World Taekwondo Grand Prix: Jade Jones and Caden Cunningham win golds". BBC Sport. 9 June 2023. Retrieved 11 June 2023.
  10. ^ "TEAM GB PRESS RELEASE – KRAKOW 2023 TEAM". Breakinggb.org. 1 June 2023. Retrieved 11 June 2023.
  11. ^ "European Games 2023: Caden Cunningham and Ross Haslam lead golden day for Great Britain". BBC Sport. 26 June 2023. Retrieved 27 June 2023.
  12. ^ "Jones to chase third Olympic gold but Cook misses out". BBC Sport. 30 June 2024. Retrieved 1 July 2024.
  13. ^ Lofthouse, Amy (10 August 2024). "Olympic taekwondo: Caden Cunningham takes men's +80kg silver after losing to Iran's Arian Salimi". BBC Sport. Retrieved 11 August 2024.