As someone who prefers to look at his glass as half full rather than half empty, it is no surprise that Mahama Cho has taken lockdown and the postponement of Tokyo 2020 in his stride.
The 30-year-old had secured an Olympic spot in the taekwondo heavyweight division for Britain after defeating reigning world champion Radik Isaev at the Grand Slam Champion Series in December.
And having narrowly missed out on a medal at Rio 2016 with a fifth-place finish, Cho had looked in good shape to climb the podium in Tokyo before the worldwide coronavirus pandemic struck.
But rather than feeling frustrated about his bid for Olympic gold being delayed, the 6ft 4in fighter believes the chance to rest his body will benefit him when the Games do take place.
“I was happy in a sense that even though it [Tokyo 2020] was taken away, it just allowed me to recover because it’s been a long cycle, it’s been a long four years,” he said.
“I am 30 years old and my body has been battered for that long. If someone tells me you have another year to relax, I’m going to take the chance to boost my energy as much as possible.
“Every little niggle that I had is going away with rest, mentally you are in a happier place. There is no real pressure and that feeling is amazing because you can go into your own world of happiness.
“You miss your sport, you miss your teammates, you miss your facilities, you miss the flow of competition, you miss preparing and all that you do obviously miss.
Full article – https://www.teamgb.com/news/refreshed-cho-chomping-at-the-bit-to-resume-tokyo-2020-mission
