Alba wins at Manchester Taekwondo Grand Prix

Havana, October 21 (JIT)-- The third stop of the World Taekwondo Grand Prix 2022 begins this Friday in Manchester, England, with the presence of six Olympic champions and several world champions. For that reason it is considered one of the most competitive of the current season.

The competition has several attractions, among which stand out the presence of the Cuban giant Rafael Alba (+80 kg), the most followed of the competitors from America, and other stars such as the Italian Simone Alessio (80 kg) and the Chinese Luo Zongshi (57 kg).

All of them have important challenges ahead of them: Alba, two-time world champion and Olympic bronze medalist, could become the first man from America to win a pair of times this Grand Prix; the Italian and the Asian are bidding for their third titles in a row in the circuit, as they won in June in Rome and in September in Paris. The fourth edition will take place in China in December.

"I feel good, without discomfort and focused on achieving a good performance, taking into account that the world championship will soon be held in Guadalajara, Mexico. We have to arrive in good shape," the 2.02-meter tall, 29-year-old Santiago native told JIT from the venue.

Undoubtedly, this is an important stop on the road to the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, since the 256 invited athletes have the opportunity to score points for the international federation's ranking.

Alba, who is due to fight on the closing day of the competition, has held 81 high-ranking fights, of which he won 66 for 81.5 percent, according to www.worldtkd.simplycompete.com.

The Santiago-born fighter is second on the list, with 195.21 points, behind Turkey's Emre Kutalmis Atesli (204.96), who surpasses him in number of fights and presence in competitions.

The winner gets 60 points and 5,000 euros in prize money; second place 36 and 3,000, and third place 21 and 1,000.

The contestants from 50 nations will compete in the Manchester Regional Arena during three days. The 31 best in each Olympic category are expected to fight for glory.