London 2012 bronze medallist, Lutalo Muhammad, headlines the seven squad members taking part in the United States, with expectations high after Tony Stephenson and Bianca Walkden claimed two of four medals, gold and silver respectively, on European soil.

With just 19 months left of an Olympic cycle, GB Taekwondo performance director Gary Hall says the coming year will be a "big springboard to anyone who has real aspirations for Rio".

Other important events on the 2015 calendar include the World Taekwondo Federation (WTF) World Championships in Chelyabinsk, Russia and the inaugural European Games in Baku, Azerbaijan.

"The whole team-athletes and staff-are getting focused to the importance of this year," said Hall.

"Any ranking points earned are going to be of maximum value.

"We have sent a team to Greece, we have got a team at the US this weekend and another squad going out to Bosnia at the end of the month.

"Straight after, there are tournaments in Turkey, we're going to Luxor [in Egypt] like we did last year and the Dutch Open.

"We then have training camps for final preparations for the World Championships.

"For the first time also, we have the European Games on our calendar which is another event for us in terms of ranking points and also a credible high performance tournament."

Olympic gold medallist Jade Jones has delayed her first competitive outing of the year ©Getty Images



Jordan Gayle competes in the under 63 kilogram category tomorrow, while on Saturday (January 24), Muhammad and Damon Sansum contest the under 80kg category.

The pressure is on Muhammad and Sansum to perform given Andy Deer is also part of a particularly strong weight category for Great Britain.

"It is going to be a hot category," said Hall.

"But the value of hot competition can't be overstated.

"It is a key fundamental in getting Olympic medals in 2016."

One noticeable absentee from both squads so far this season is Olympic gold medallist Jade Jones, who ended last year as the World Grand Prix series champion, WTF female athlete of the year and world number two, as she delays her first competitive outing. 

"Jade enjoyed a fantastic year in 2014," said Hall.

"She is now in the gym working on new things and that work is key to her.

"We know she doesn't need to go crazy.

"She just needs to be at her best for the majors and her major this year is the World Championships."

Christian McNeish, Ruebyn Richards and Martin Stamper make up the under 68kg competitors, with Mahama Cho the sole over 87kg representative.

Live streaming of the US Open can be accessed via the GB Taekwondo website, by clicking here.

Contact the writer of this story at [email protected]


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