'I'm ready to become an Olympic champion - then it could be UFC or modelling'
Next summer, Caden Cunningham will try to become just the second British taekwondo athlete to win gold at the Olympics.
Following in the footsteps of two-time Olympic champion Jade Jones in Paris is an almighty challenge for the 20-year-old from Huddersfield, but one he's relishing. "Of course I think I can win gold," Cunningham tells Mirror Sport.
"One of the toughest parts of the Olympics in the taekwondo is qualifying and actually getting to the Games. I feel like that will be a perfect opportunity for me to just enjoy and embrace everything I've learnt over the last 14 or 15 years."
Cunningham's journey to the top hasn't been easy. He started at a nearby club before joining Quest Taekwondo in Penistone, a small town just outside of Barnsley, to continue his development. His coach Mike McKenzie was "unbelievably helpful" during those formative years, helping him train before and after school ahead of big competitions.
Cunningham's parents also did everything they could to keep their son's Olympic dream alive, taking him around the country and paying for him to compete abroad. Making such sacrifices aren't easy for a family from Huddersfield. Cunningham admits it was "a struggle at times" but will always appreciate what his parents have done for him.
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"My parents did very well for me, they tried to get me about as much as they could. I couldn’t go about as much as a lot of people do in the world and the UK, but we did the best we could."
Cunningham would love to make his parents proud in Paris next summer - as well as inspire the youngest members of his family to follow their dreams. "My parents… they’ve taken me everywhere, they’ve funded everything.
"A big part of me and my family is I’ve got a lot of nieces and nephews, who I love so much. A lot of times when I’ve finished my comp, I want to know they’ve watched it and seen their uncle is over in China or Mexico or South Korea doing all these things with his life - so they can strive to be better than I am in whatever they choose to do.
"I’ve got nephews who are footballers that are doing really well. I’ve got a lot of love and support from my brothers, sisters, parents, but the biggest thing for me is the youngsters in the family being able to look up and go, 'My uncle is doing something wicked'."
Cunningham is confident of winning gold at the Olympics (Getty Images)Are you excited for the Olympics? Let us know in the comments below!
Cunningham needs to be ranked in the top five by World Taekwondo in January to automatically qualify for the Paris Games. He's currently sitting in fifth... and rising. But imposing himself on the heavyweight division hasn't been easy.
Cunningham suffered an anterior crucial ligament (ACL) injury at last November's World Taekwondo Championships to cast doubt over his Olympic dream. The lay off saw him plummet down the rankings - and recovering from a such a horrid injury is never easy. Yet Cunningham needed just six months to bounce back thanks to his "really good team", who helped him "smash" his rehab.
"I got back competing strong. I rolled back into three comps and had some good successes. The recovery was technically long, but to me it didn’t feel too long. We had little goals to hit. When we smashed them, we extended (the goals) and pushed to each limit that my body could cope with."
Cunningham proved just how strong his knee is by winning gold at the European Games in June, convincingly beating Dejan Georgievski of North Macedonia in the final. Despite his injury, Cunningham was never worried about missing the Olympics.
"I never thought of it as done. I just thought, 'That's made it a bit harder'. I only started competing in the heavyweight division last year, so I only started getting Olympic ranking points then. It was always a bit of a crunch for me to get to this Olympics because it was a case of (people telling me), 'You’ve got to do really well'. I jumped into heavyweight (fights) and started doing well quite early, so... I did worry that I'd lose a bit of that momentum (after the injury).
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"But through my rehab, I did a lot of learning about myself… I just started seeing it in a different way, in that I’m going to come back a new and better athlete. This is time for me to get my head right, focus, visualise my comps, watch fights, analyse – and by the time I’m back I’m going to be a different sort of machine. That’s what I told myself."
Jade Jones is Britain's only Olympic champion in taekwondo (Getty Images)That spell in the treatment room helped Cunningham become "very optimistic" about the future - and he doesn't fear a reoccurrence of his injury.
"It doesn't worry me. I do the right training to prevent injuries and look after my body. I do the right recovery. What happened with my ACL was almost a freak accident. It could happen again - it could happen to anyone - but to live life and compete with that in the back of my mind would put me at a disadvantage... whatever happens, happens."
And that relaxed mentality will bode well for Cunningham in Paris next summer. The Olympics is undoubtedly the biggest event in taekwondo - and the youngster's best chance to make a name for himself. That pressure would force many athletes to crumble, but Cunningham is made of tougher stuff.
"I don’t see it as pressure, I see it as an opportunity. I work very hard, and I’ll continue to do so. There’s always an element of nerves and wanting to prove yourself and not disappoint anyone. But I’ll be a very young heavyweight at the Olympics, so I’ll be trying to go into it with a relaxed mindset by way of, 'I'm here to fight, I’m trained to fight - let’s just enjoy it and kick people in the face!'"
Cunningham is also enjoying a career in modelling (Getty Images)As Cunningham protests, he'll only be 21 at next summer's Olympics. In theory, he could go on to compete at Los Angeles 2028 and Brisbane 2032. Going on to pick up several Olympic medals is something the emerging star would love to do.
"There’s a lot of people in GB Taekwondo who’ve got amazing, amazing careers. My goal is to do better than all of them. I'm sure they’d appreciate that."
Yet Cunningham is also open to trying new things. "Life goes in all sorts of ways. If I got another crazy big injury at a certain point in my career, I might call it a day. I really like the MMA scene, so that’s a potential (route) for me to get into after Paris or LA.
"But, again, I’ve just got to see where the tide takes me. Whatever I choose to do, I like to master (it) and become the best at. Until I do that in taekwondo, until I’m Olympic champion, until I’m world champion - I will definitely still be in this sport."
And even if Cunningham's sporting career collapses, there's always modelling. He's been signed up by Forte Model Management and has already worked with some huge companies, such as Sports Direct.
"Everyone’s mum thinks their kid is gorgeous! She always said, 'You could be a model Caden! We need to send you places!' But I was never too comfortable with cameras and taking pictures and stuff, just because it’s not my thing. Two years ago, my current modelling agency got in touch and said, 'We'd like to work with you'. I've done some sport-based campaign stuff, and they've (since) got me into more of the fashion side of modelling.
"I quite enjoy it, to be honest, because it’s a nice break from taekwondo. It’s a different space with different types of people - a different kind of nerves going to shoots and stuff.
"At the moment, I just want to keep it as my side hustle and grow that as long as it doesn’t affect any of my taekwondo. But you never know, I might sack taekwondo and MMA off and go straight into full-time modelling!"
This interview was conducted on behalf of GB Taekwondo. Click HERE to read more about their development programme.
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