Tokyo 2020 - Bianca Walkden says last second loss left her ‘dying to cry’ despite bronze consolation

ByJack Bantock

Updated 27/07/2021 at 15:32 GMT

Lying on the floor in the immediate aftermath of her loss, the three-time world champion cut a devastated figure but managed to rouse herself to secure a second straight Olympics bronze. Her last second defeat added to a string of agonising losses in the Dojang for Team GB.

Bianca Walkden has expressed her despair at not taking home a gold medal, revealing that she has been left feeling ‘a little bit dead inside’.

The three-time world champion lost her shot at the gold in the most agonising way imaginable in her +67kg semi-final bout with Lee Da-bin, suffering a head kick that tipped the score in the South Korean’s favour at the death.

Walkden rallied superbly to take home a deserved bronze, beating Poland’s Aleksandra Kowalczuk, but the medal was not enough to remedy her heartbreak.

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“I’m glad I came away with an Olympic medal but it was not the colour I trained for or expected,” the 29-year-old said.

“I feel a little bit dead inside and it’s killing me. It’s a medal, just not the colour I wanted. I might paint over it when I get it home, no-one has to know.

'She's a champion' - GB's Walkden wins bronze after semi-final agony

“I didn’t want to run around with the flag afterwards but I wanted to say ‘thank you’ to my coach, the physio and all the people involved.

“It was really hard to do but it was for my friends and all my family. Deep down I was dying to cry.”

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The third place finish made it a second consecutive bronze for the Liverpudlian, having finished on the podium in Rio five years ago.

Despite her desolation Walkden did end with a positive message.

She said: “I just hope that the kids watching me can realise it’s not about the colour, it’s about giving your heart & soul and then being able to come out with your head held high.”

Walkden’s woes only added to a volley of heartbreaks in the Dojang for Team GB.

Bradly Sinden and Lauren Williams both suffered devastating losses in their respective finals, with both having led well into the closing stages of their bouts

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