The five-strong team won three medals at Tokyo 2020 as Bradley Sinden and Lauren Williams achieved a silver medal each, while triple world champion Bianca Walkden secured a bronze medal.

The total matched Team GB’s Rio 2016 tally and was one better than London 2012, where Jade Jones and Lutalo Muhammad claimed gold and bronze respectively.

Despite the success, however, it could -- and perhaps should -- have been so much more.

All three athletes saw the possibility of a higher medal colour snatched away from them in the closing seconds of bouts.

Many wondered why a more defensive approach wasn’t adopted as the clock ticked down.

Hall, who was national taekwondo champion of Britain for 10 years, defended his athletes and their game plan.

"We have a DNA in our fight game and our fight game is to win," said Hall.

"That’s fight at all costs, die trying and give everything you can.

"When it comes to those close moments we don’t try and close it off and defend.

"Having looked at the statistics we don’t believe it is the right way.

"The guys know it is their choice.

"The coach will give them advice but in the last 10 seconds when you are in computer mode they make that choice.

"We respect that choice and we back every single choice the athlete makes.

"Sometimes, it wins us three golds as it did at the World Championships in 2019.

"On another day, they would have made that same choice and it would have worked for them.

"We are a fight sport and you have got to take risks at crucial times.

"I massively endorse that strategy because it is the way the rules are going.

"They do reward the offensive player.

"We are a fight sport and you have got to take risks at crucial times.”

Hall believes that a lack of high intensity competition during the COVID-19 was a key factor for the narrow defeats.

"Even though we have had competitions of a level to go to, we didn’t get enough of that.

"We have a brilliant talent cohort, but if you haven’t been into battle for 18 months, at this kind of level, it can have an impact.

"And I wouldn’t like to take anything away from the phenomenal performances all five of them gave with their own individual circumstances.

"We all came here saying we win together, we lose together and support each other.

"It has been a hard 18 months but to come to an Olympic Games and do what we did is incredibly good.

"I [am] immensely proud of what they have achieved."

Chief executive of BT, Ian Leafe, supported Hall.

"I’m sure the entire country, the BT board and our members, would like to say a huge thank you to GB Taekwondo, Gary Hall and the entire team for the years of hard work, and magnificent performance in Tokyo, and wish our Para team success in a few weeks time," Leafe said.