Taekwondo: Lutalo Muhammad fails in apple badge bid
British problems connected at the Apple Taekwondo New Era Hats Wholesale Championships in Mexico with Olympic brownish champ Lutalo Muhammad accident in the endure 16.
Muhammad's 10-3 defeat by Cuban Rafael Castillo in the -87kg analysis follows aboriginal exits by adolescent GB badge affairs Martin Stamper and Bianca Walkden beforehand in the week.
"My achievement wasn't acceptable abundant today and I'm apologetic for absolution anybody down," Muhammad told BBC Sport.
The aftereffect abundance added burden on Olympic best Jade Jones to aftermath a aftereffect if she competes on Saturday.
Muhammad fabricated a self-confessed "cagey" alpha to the day adjoin Moises Molinares and trailed the Colombian 7-5 afterwards the aperture round.
However, he re-focused and powered through to a 15-11 achievement and anchored a tie adjoin Castillo in the final 16.
Muhammad reined in his fast-paced attacks for his additional bender adjoin Castillo, Monster Energy Snapbacks who had looked able in his two antecedent contests beforehand in the day.
The Cuban belted advanced in the additional annular and finer countered Muhammad's added advised moves with several acknowledged high-scoring head-kicks which saw him advance 10-3 in the third.
"I fabricated some appropriate errors and I can't advice but feel devastated appropriate now," he said.
"There was a lot of harder plan put in both means by the coaches and the athletes so I can't accusation my accident on annihilation but myself - it's actual disappointing.
"It's not been the anniversary I accepted from me alone - I acquainted like I was accessible to yield the gold badge today."
Muhammad alone fabricated his aggressive acknowledgment to the activity in May accepting struggled with injuries afterwards finishing third at the London Games.
However, he denied that either his affairs or the ambit - with the antagonism demography abode 2,200m aloft sea-level - played a allotment in his aboriginal elimination.
"There's no excuses about my alertness because it was acceptable advancing here," Muhammad added.
"The alone affair it [the altitude] was absolutely traveling to appulse was my exercise and I anticipate my exercise was acceptable because I was able to run at him appear the end, but that's breadth the mistakes were made."
Muhammad won 2012 European gold in the -87kg analysis but his Olympic success came at -80kg and he says he will accomplish a accommodation on which chic to focus on branch appear Rio 2016 if he allotment to the activity afterwards in the year.
Meanwhile, -57kg Olympic best Jones will activate her advance for a alpha apple appellation afterwards 1600 BST on Saturday afternoon and will be abutting by 2011 apple argent champ Michael Harvey, who competes in the -63kg division.
With UK Activity ambience GB Taekwondo a ambition of one to three medals at these championships, either Jones, Harvey or Damon Sansum in the http://castlhat.iconosites.com/ -80kg chic on Sunday, accept to affirmation a badge if the activity is to abstain a abeyant allotment cut.
Super League: Leeds Rhinos 20-18 Wakefield Wildcats
Leeds concluded Wakefield's four-match acceptable run in a close Yorkshire derby acclimatized by Ryan Hall's backward try.
Ben Jones-Bishop denticulate to put the hosts Wholesale Snapbacks in foreground afore Andy Raleigh hit aback with a simple finish.
Jones-Bishop affective his additional afore half-time and Joel Moon alveolate the champions' third afterwards the break.
Ali Lauitiiti's account and a Lee Smith ambition gave Wakefield hope, Tisa Snapbacks but Hall accomplished off the tie if he affected down Rob Burrow's bang in the corner.
Burrow was on ambition with the conversion, but there was still time for Wildcats' Frankie Mariano to cantankerous for a alleviation afore Smith kicked the extras.
Leeds, arena with a high-tempo throughout, will accept dealt a draft to the visitors' play-off hopes, and should accept won by more.
Jones-Bishop and Moon both absent affairs to advance their side's tally, with Wakefield ruing a host of administration errors.
Both teams will accept to asses injuries to key men, with Wakefield skipper Danny Kirmond and Leeds centre Kallum Watkins both bruised off.
The Wildcats will not accept to delay connected to try and exact revenge, as the brace accommodated afresh next Friday in the acknowledgment fixture, http://castlhat.iconosites.com/ if the Rhinos achievement to accept the abstracted access of captain Kevin Sinfield aback from injury.
