Sarah Stevenson

Sarah Stevenson won bronze for Great Britain at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games in Taekwondo, to add to her world title back in 2001. Here she reveals all to Sportsvibe.

1: How did you get into your sport?

My older brother was already doing Taekwondo so when I was old enough I joined in. A very boring story, sorry. I didn’t want to be a power ranger like Aaron Cook, his story is much better than mine.

2:. Tell us the best thing about your sport?

Getting to kick people.

3: Who is your biggest inspiration in your sport?

My coach from Doncaster, Gary Sykes. He is still very close to me as a friend/family and coach. We have a special bond.

4: Do you admire anybody outside of your own sport?

I love Roger Federer. I got a Roger Federer hat for Christmas, I love it so much and wore it all Christmas day. He is so cool under pressure and a very humble guy. It’s so hard to stay at the top like he has and he has done it so well.

5: Who is the best player you’ve played with/against?

I would say Maria Espinoza. We always have hard exciting fights.

6: Do you have any pre-match rituals or superstitions? 

I used to have an obsession with buying new socks, but then as I got older I stopped because I didn’t want to rely on anything and worry when I forgot to buy socks.

7: Tell us about your training schedule? What does it involve and how does it change, i.e. before matches etc?

We train 6 days a week and twice per day, It’s a hard schedule and very demanding. Before a competition, the sessions will get shorter but more intense and even once a day the week before a competition.

8: Who is the funniest player at your club/who’ve played with?

I would say Tyrone Robinson is a very funny lad. He’s from Mansfield and always keeps up the morale of the team. Never a dull moment.

9: What is the most memorable moment in your sporting career to date?

Being the first person the win a World Championships was a crazy time and I will never forget that feeling.

10: What are do you want to achieve next in your sport? What are your goals?

I want be an inspiration to all our younger Taekwondo Athletes out there. We need more girls, so come on girls get involved.

11: If you hadn’t been a Taekwondo Athlete what would you have been?

I would possibly of been someone who helps people, not really sure what profession, or a Zoo Keeper because I love animals. I even got to be a Zoo Keeper for the day once. It was a birthday present and one of the best presents ever!

12: What will Sarah Stevenson do after her sporting career is over?

I would like to stay involved in Taekwondo, possibly become a coach. I’m more interested in the development of athletes and seeing them progress onto great things.

13: What music (if any) do you listen to when training?

I like up beat music, like old school 90’s dance tunes.

14: What do you do on a day off/in your spare time?

I love going home and going out with my girlies.

15: If you had 24 hours to live, how would you spend it?

With my fiancé and all my family and live out a typical Christmas day.

16: What is your favourite film?

Hmmm that’s a tough one. I love lots of films, but if you asked my parents they would say Calamity Jane. This is highly embarrassing, but I love it.

17: Do you get any strange fan mail?

Not really, but when we were at the World Champs in Copenhagen last year, there were some really creepy guys lingering for autographs.

18: What is the funniest thing you’ve read/heard about yourself in the media?

I’m not famous enough for bad press.

19: Tell us a joke about your sport?

I can’t, I’m so bad at jokes, I wouldn’t in a million years be able to come up with anything funny for you x.