CHO Mahama

Great Britain
Taekwondo
16 Aug 1989
31
Male
 
Côte d'Ivoire
MANCHESTER
 
Great Britain

Events and Medals

Discipline Event Rank Medal
TKW Taekwondo Men +80kg 11

Schedule

Change
Start Time Location Event Status
Makuhari Messe Hall A
Men +80kg Round of 16
#404
GBR
CHO MCHO Mahama
4
CHN
SUN HSUN Hongyi
7
GDP
Finished

Biographical Information

Highlights

:
Olympic Games
RankEventYearLocation
5+80kg2016Rio de Janeiro, BRA

World Championships
RankEventYearLocation
2+87kg2017Muju, KOR
Quarterfinal+87kg2019Manchester, GBR
2nd Round+87kg2015Chelyabinsk, RUS
2nd Round+87kg2011Gyeongju, KOR

European Championships
RankEventYearLocation
Quarterfinal+87kg2021Sofia, BUL
Quarterfinal+80kg2019Bari, ITA

Grand Prix Final
RankEventYearLocation
Quarterfinal+80kg2018Fujairah, UAE
Quarterfinal+80kg2017Abidjan, CIV
Quarterfinal+80kg2016Baku, AZE
1st Round+80kg2019Moscow, RUS

Grand Prix
RankEventYearLocation
1+80kg2017Rabat, MAR
3+80kg2019Rome, ITA
3+80kg2018Taoyuan, TPE
3+80kg2017London, GBR
Quarterfinal+80kg2019Sofia, BUL
Quarterfinal+80kg2017Moscow, RUS
2nd Round+80kg2019Chiba, JPN
Round 2+80kg2018Manchester, GBR
:
Stockwell Slayer, Chotime [because he believes in putting on an entertaining show when he competes]. (walesonline.co.uk, 11 Mar 2016; baku2015.com, 19 Jun 2015)
:
Athlete
:
Sport Studies - Lewisham College, London, GBR
:
Partner Samantha Jane
:
Arabic, English, French
:
His father Zakaia was an African taekwondo champion. (telegraph.co.uk, 22 May 2016)
:
As a teenager he played semi-professional football for Erith Town Football Club in Bexley, England. (gbtaekwondo.co.uk, 22 May 2016; bbc.co.uk, 23 Oct 2014)
:
He took up taekwondo at age eight in London, England. (bbc.co.uk, 23 Oct 2014)
:
His father Zakaia, a taekwondo champion in Africa, introduced him to the sport so he could protect himself from bullies. (bbc.co.uk, 25 Oct 2014, 23 Oct 2014)
:
To win a gold medal at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. (teamgb.com, 28 Jul 2020)
:
He trains at the National Taekwondo Centre in Manchester, England. (teamgb.com, 28 Jul 2020)
:
Ivorian footballer Yaya Toure, French taekwondo athlete Pascal Gentil. (gbtaekwondo.co.uk, 22 May 2016; bbc.co.uk, 23 Oct 2014)
:
"I always fight to the dying seconds no matter how much time is left. That is how I fight, I never give up." (teamgb.com, 24 Oct 2014)

General Interest

General
MEDAL MOTIVATION
He says that returning from the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro as the only member of the British taekwondo team without a medal has motivated him ahead of the 2020 Games in Tokyo. "It's in my mind ever since I left Rio. Being the only athlete not medalling, seeing your teammates come back with medals it still touches me today. But it does not hurt to talk about it. I love to tell people about this experience - I think it's a blessing for me and motivates me to keep going until the next Olympics [in Tokyo] come." (teamgb.com, 28 Jul 2020)

COTE D'IVOIRE TO GREAT BRITAIN
Born in Cote d'Ivoire, his father was often abroad and his mother found it difficult to take care of him alone. Cho would often get into fights after school and in 1997 his grandmother insisted his father, who was by that time living in London, England, started taking a more active role in his life. Cho moved to Great Britain at age eight. "We make the most of the resources we have, but Africa is a tough area to grow up in. I used to get bullied a lot, I was challenged every day after school simply because I was strong, and I would come home with bruises. I utilise the pain and hardship I have experienced since childhood as motivation every day." (bbc.co.uk, 25 Oct 2014, 23 Oct 2014)

COMPETING FOR FRANCE
He represented Great Britain at the 2011 World Championships in Gyeongju, Republic of Korea, but he switched to compete for France after he missed out on selection for the British team ahead of the 2012 Olympic Games in London. He returned to compete for Great Britain in 2013. (telegraph.co.uk, 22 May 2016; bbc.co.uk, 25 Oct 2014, 23 Oct 2014)

FURTHER EDUCATION
After studying sports and exercise at Lewisham College in London, he studied for a foundation degree in the same subject at the University of Bolton in England. In 2013 he then studied for a master's degree in international business, trade and commerce at the Paris School of Business in France. (LinkedIn profile, 24 Mar 2021)

OTHER ACTIVITIES
He has been an advisor for Allen Taekwondo Academy in London, England. (allentaekwondoacademy.com, 24 Sep 2017)

Legend
:
Gold Medal Event
:
Silver Medal Event
:
Bronze Medal Event
GDP:
Win by Golden Points
Content 1 (removed through CDN)
Content 2 (removed through CDN).
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