If perseverance in the face of adversity is what makes a true champion then Bianca Walkden is among the best around.
While Walkden is the current world and European champion the course she has had to navigate to reach the top has been littered with bad luck.
The first hurdle came back in 2011 when Walkden suffered a torn knee ligament.
She returned three months after surgery desperate to compete at the World Championships and convince selectors of her merits ahead of London 2012.
All did not go to plan however as she exited in the second round and, an equally challenging outing at the European Championships, meant she was left to watch on from the sidelines for London.
But she built herself back up in the most remarkable way and, in 2014, made her first significant stride towards the top when she took the heavyweight European title in Baku – seeing off Russia’s Olga Ivanova in the final.
But disaster was to strike just two months later when another ACL injury – this time to her other knee – meant she was forced to battle back once more.
There was a hint of deja vu when Walkden returned with the World Championships once more on the horizon.
But this time there was no hiccup as the Liverpudlian produced a series of stunning performances to become only the second Briton to win World Championship gold.
Now Walkden heads into the final countdown of the Olympic cycle as the world’s best and says she wants to keep racking up the medals – starting with gold on home soil at the Manchester Grand Prix next week.
“I’ve done really well this season, coming back from the injury to my ACL and then becoming world champion in May and medalling in both Grand Prix events this year,” she said.
“One was a semi-final and the other was a final, so hopefully I can make it gold at Manchester.
“We’re trying to get a lot of training in at the moment because there are a lot of competitions round the corner with it being so close to qualifying for the Olympics at the end of the year.
“So it’s a case of getting as much as we can out of the sessions that we can in the time that we’ve got left before competitions, ticking every box that we can.”
For Walkden next week’s Grand Prix represents a welcome change to the jet-setting life of an international taekwondo star.
And the Manchester-based champion says she is looking forward to taking full advantage of home surroundings.
“The Manchester Grand Prix is the next one up before the final in Mexico, and I’m really looking forward to it with it being in my home town obviously,” she added.
“It means my family can come and watch me as they don’t really get to see me when I’m away, and their support will be great.
“Being in front of a home crowd definitely does make you feel special. You feel like everyone there is behind you supporting you to win, so it really gives you a boost when you are trying to take a shot and trying out different techniques and stuff.
“For me personally, to have my mum and dad come to see me when they don’t get to very often means a lot.”
© Sportsbeat 2015