By Mike Rowbottom

Dutch Open_-_Aaron_Lutalo_PodiumMarch 19 - Aaron Cook (pictured second left) and British teammate Jordan Gayle earned impressive taekwondo victories at the Dutch Open which indicate both will be in top form for next month's European Championships in Manchester, a vital staging post towards London 2012.

Cook, who narrowly missed a medal at the Beijing 2008 Games, avenged his previous week's defeat in the German Open by teammate Lutalo Muhammad (pictured second right) en route to victory in the -80kg category in Eindhoven.

Gayle, who dropped down from -68kg for the event, claimed the -63kg title, producing a 2-1 victory over Iran's double world silver medallist, Reza Naderian en route to gold.

Briton Bianca Walkden, desperate to prove an able deputy to her compatriot world champion and Olympic bronze medallist Sarah Stevenson, who is still recovering from an operation after injuring her knee while training, was not satisfied with her performance despite claiming silver in the -67kg weight division.

Having moved down from the +73kg she had contested in Hamburg, Walkden looked on course for gold before tournament organisers switched the start time of her final at the 11th hour.

Walkden barely had time to get kitted out before her meeting against home favourite, Reshmire Oogink.

Making the most of her extra preparation Dutch star Oogink won 6-2.

Great Britain's performance director Gary Hall will sit down with his selectors this week to finalise his squad for the European Championships, which are being held in Britain for the first time.

And Hall says he's been given "food for thought" by performances at the German Open in Hamburg and the weekend's Dutch Open in Eindhoven.

Jordan Nationals
Gayle (pictured left), a Mancunian, will certainly have done his chances no harm with his performance in the Netherlands.

"It was a bit nervy at the end but I got there," Gayle said.

"To beat a couple of Iranians, who are always very capable, and a strong Portuguese player in the quarters, has given me a lot of confidence."

In total, Britain won 12 medals in Eindhoven including junior golds for Jamie Abley and Asia Bailey.

"We have a really strong group of athletes now who can win major medals," Hall added.

"Aaron and Bianca did good jobs in our Olympic weight categories so it is all positive."

Cook followed up his last four victory over Londoner Muhammad with a 9-8 final success over Argentina's Sebastián Crismanich.

Muhammad had been impressive early on, notably against Greece's former European Championship silver medallist, Nikolaos Tzellos, winning 7-0.

Britain's German Open champion, Damon Sansum, lost 5-3 to Iran's former world +87kg bronze medallist, Kourosh Rajoly, in the last 16.

Abley's win was a perfect result ahead of next month's World Junior Championships in Egypt.

He conceded only four points in his five contests, including a 4-0 final victory over Azerbaijan's Parvin Aliyev.

"It's my first 'A-Class' win, so I've got to be happy," 16-year-old Abley said.

"I picked up a silver medal at the German Open and got a gold here.

"So I'll be looking for a medal too at the World Juniors in Egypt."

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