BBC’s Sports Personality of the Year award nominee Bianca Walkden
Twenty-six-year-old Bianca Walkden is a twice World champion, twice European champion, and twice World Grand Prix Final champion — and now the FIRST taekwondo practitioner to ever be nominated for BBC’s Sports Personality of the Year Award.
Born and raised in Liverpool, she will be home for the awards ceremony, which is being held in the Echo Arena on 17th December.
Responding on Twitter after finding out the news of her nomination she said: “I can’t believe I have been nominated for BBC Sports personality of the year 2017, and for it be in my hometown OMG OMG OMG! #Liverpoolgirl.”
But despite her many achievements, the world is yet to really know Bianca Walkden. She started taekwondo at 11 years old with her friend, Becky. “She eventually quit, I didn’t,” said Bianca in an interview with BBC Sport. This seemed to be the best decision, as she went on to become the first British taekwondo fighter to win back-to-back world gold medals when defending her title in South Korea in 2016.
In addition, she became only the second Briton to win a world title in taekwondo after Sarah Stevenson in 2001 and 2011, and the third to win a global title after Stevenson and Jade Jones’ Olympic success in 2012.
A knock-back to fitness due to post-knee surgery meant Bianca went off the radar for a while. However, a tremendous comeback in 2014 meant she won gold at the European Championship, as well as winning medals across a series of opens round the world. In 2015, Bianca had a breakthrough season becoming only the second ever GB athlete to win gold at the World Championships.
Her streak didn’t stop there as she made her debut at the 2016 Olympics, securing a bronze medal. This is after just missing out on the gold medal match, having lost in a golden point round. In an interview with BBC Sport she said: “I have the confidence that I’m becoming one of the best and no matter what happens I don’t want to give up.”
To add to her success, this weekend she stormed to her fifth successive global title of the year with victory at the World Taekwondo Grand Prix In Ivory Coast. Thrilled, she said: “I honestly can’t believe I’ve done it and I’m pinching myself.”
This was the first time the athlete was competing since the “shock” departure of her coach Paul Green from the GB Taekwondo programme.
Her passion and dedication for the sport is apparent in her work, excelling in every event that she does. This commitment stems from the reason that she loves the sport so much as she claims, “it’s dynamic with unexpected elements”. As well as taekwondo, Bianca is also known to enjoy dancing and tennis.
A fun fact that she recently disclosed to fans is that she can burp on demand, but is that enough to make her the sports personality of the year 2017? We think so.
