Lutalo Muhammad (born 3 June 1991) is a British retired
taekwondo
Taekwondo (; ; ) is a Korean martial art and combat sport involving primarily kicking techniques and punching. "Taekwondo" can be translated as ''tae'' ("strike with foot"), ''kwon'' ("strike with hand"), and ''do'' ("the art or way"). In ad ...
athlete who represented Great Britain at the
2012 Summer Olympics
The 2012 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012, were an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...
, winning a bronze medal, and the
2016 Summer Olympics
The 2016 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXXI Olympiad () and officially branded as Rio 2016, were an international multi-sport event held from 5 to 21 August 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, with preliminary events i ...
, winning a silver medal. He won the gold medal in the −87 kg class at the
2012 European Taekwondo Championships.
Early life
Muhammad was born on 3 June 1991 in
Walthamstow
Walthamstow ( or ) is a town within the London Borough of Waltham Forest in east London. The town borders Chingford to the north, Snaresbrook and South Woodford to the east, Leyton and Leytonstone to the south, and Tottenham to the west. At ...
, London, England.
He was coached by his father, Wayne Muhammad, in the art of
taekwondo
Taekwondo (; ; ) is a Korean martial art and combat sport involving primarily kicking techniques and punching. "Taekwondo" can be translated as ''tae'' ("strike with foot"), ''kwon'' ("strike with hand"), and ''do'' ("the art or way"). In ad ...
from the age of three.
His grandparents were immigrants to the UK.
2012 Summer Olympics
Muhammad won the gold medal in the −87 kg class at the
2012 European Taekwondo Championships.
There is no −87 kg category in the Olympic Games; however, Muhammad was selected to be Britain's representative in the −80 kg category at the
2012 Summer Olympics
The 2012 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012, were an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...
. This decision was controversial as he was selected instead of
Aaron Cook, who was the World No. 1 and European champion in the −80 kg class. The controversy attracted considerable attention in the media.
The decision drew criticism from former athletes such as John Cullen and
Steve Redgrave. Muhammed received hate mail following his selection. GB performance director
Gary Hall defended his selection and said "Aaron has a bigger marketing machine than the whole of GB Taekwondo", whilst fellow taekwondo competitor
Sarah Stevenson dismissed the world rankings as inconsequential.
Muhammad stated that "Unfortunately with the nature of sport there are always going to be winners and losers so I wish him all the best for his future, but my focus right now is not Aaron Cook, it's a gold medal in London." In the Games, Muhammad reached the quarter-finals where he lost to
Nicolás García of Spain. In the repechage, he defeated Armenian
Arman Yeremyan 9–3 winning a bronze medal.
2016 Summer Olympics
Muhammad won the
Olympic silver medal −80 kg category improving on his bronze from 2012. Muhammad was leading 6–4 in the final before losing in the last second to
Cheick Sallah Cisse of Ivory Coast. Down by two points and only one second remaining, Cisse released a spinning hook kick that landed on Muhammad's head, scoring 4 points and winning the bout.
2020 Summer Olympics
Muhammad was not selected for the 2020 Olympics, instead working in media as a pundit for the BBC.
Retirement
Muhammad announced his retirement in September 2022.
Honours
*2008 German Open (Gold) Jnr
*GLL Sports Foundation Award (2008)
*Middlesex University Sportsman of the Year (2011)
*2012 London Olympics (Bronze)
*
2012 European Championships (Gold)
*Middlesex University Sportsman of the Year (2012)
*2013 National Championships (Gold)
*2013 World Grand Prix Final (Gold)
*
2014 European Championships (Bronze)
*2014 National Championships (Gold)
*2014 Commonwealth Championships (Gold)
*2015 European Club Championships (Gold)
*2015 European Olympic Games (Bronze)
*2015 World Grand Prix Final (Gold)
*2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics (Silver)
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Muhammad, Lutalo
1991 births
Living people
English male taekwondo practitioners
Olympic taekwondo practitioners for Great Britain
Black British sportsmen
21st-century Black British people
Taekwondo practitioners at the 2012 Summer Olympics
Taekwondo practitioners at the 2016 Summer Olympics
Alumni of Middlesex University
Sportspeople from Manchester
People from Walthamstow
Sportspeople from the London Borough of Waltham Forest
Olympic silver medallists for Great Britain
Olympic bronze medallists for Great Britain
Olympic medalists in taekwondo
Medalists at the 2012 Summer Olympics
Medalists at the 2016 Summer Olympics
Taekwondo practitioners at the 2015 European Games
European Games medalists in taekwondo
European Games bronze medalists for Great Britain
English people of Zimbabwean descent
Sportspeople of Zimbabwean descent
European Taekwondo Championships medalists
21st-century English sportsmen