Bianca Walkden

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| birth_name = Bianca Walkden

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| nickname = Queen B

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| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1991|09|29|df=y}}

| birth_place = Liverpool, England

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| education = Fitness and Exercise Management

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| spouse = {{marriage|Aaron Cook|2022}}

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| sport = Taekwondo

| weight_class = Heavyweight

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| collegeteam = The Manchester College

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| club = Liverpool Elite Taekwondo

| team = GB Taekwondo

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| worlds = 1st (2015), (2017), (2019)

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| olympics = {{OG3}} (2016),(2020)

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| medaltemplates = {{MedalSport | Women's taekwondo}}

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Bianca Cook, also known as Bianca Walkden{{cite web |url=https://www.insidethegames.biz/articles/1129444/taekwondo-manchester-grand-prix |title=Olympic champions and strong home squad to star at World Taekwondo Grand Prix |date=20 October 2022}} (born 29 September 1991), is an English taekwondo athlete and Olympian. She is three-times a World champion, twice World Grand Prix champion, four-times a European champion and a double Olympic medallist.{{cite web |last=Glean |first=Amelia |url=http://www.express.co.uk/sport/olympics/701874/Who-is-Bianca-Walkden-s-boyfriend-Aaron-Cook-and-girlfriend-go-for-gold-in-taekwondo |title=Who is Bianca Walkden's boyfriend? GB star and Aaron Cook go for gold | Olympics 2016 | Sport |website=Express.co.uk |date=19 August 2016 |accessdate=22 August 2016}}{{Cite web |title=Taekwondo WALKDEN Bianca |url=https://olympics.com/tokyo-2020/olympic-games/en/results/taekwondo/athlete-profile-n1440119-walkden-bianca.htm |url-status=dead |access-date=27 July 2021 |work=Tokyo 2020 Olympics |publisher=Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games |language=en-us |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210727020252/https://olympics.com/tokyo-2020/olympic-games/en/results/taekwondo/athlete-profile-n1440119-walkden-bianca.htm |archive-date=27 July 2021}}

Career

At the 2016 Summer Olympics, Walkden was defeated by Zheng Shuyin by a golden-point in the semi-finals, but she then overcame Wiam Dislam 7{{nbnd}}1 to secure a bronze medal.{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/olympics/37145677 |title=Rio Olympics 2016: Bianca Walkden wins bronze, Mahama Cho misses out |publisher=BBC Sport |accessdate=22 August 2016}} In 2017, she became the first ever competitor to win all four World Grand Prix events in her division in a single season. She overcame Da-Bin Lee 16{{nbnd}}9 in the final round in Côte d'Ivoire to seal the feat.{{cite web |last1=Hope |first1=Nick |title=Bianca Walkden: GB taekwondo fighter claims fifth major title of 2017 |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/judo/42212306 |website=BBC Sport |access-date=13 July 2025 |date=2 December 2017}}

In May 2015, she won a gold medal in the +73kg category at the 2015 World Taekwondo Championships in Russia, triumphing over Gwladys Epangue in the final. She became only the second Briton to win a world title, after Sarah Stevenson, and the third to win a global title after Stevenson and Jade Jones.{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/taekwondo/32768689 |title=Bianca Walkden is GB's second ever World Taekwondo champion |publisher=BBC Sport |accessdate=17 May 2015}}

In June 2017, Walkden successfully defended her world title in Muju, South Korea during the World Championships. She beat American Jackie Galloway 14–4 in the heavyweight division. Victory meant she became the first Briton to successfully defend a World taekwondo title.{{cite web |last1=Hope |first1=Nick |title=World Taekwondo Championships: Bianca Walkden wins gold in +73kg category in South Korea |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/taekwondo/40428001 |website=BBC Sport |access-date=13 July 2025 |date=28 June 2017}}

In May 2019, at the 2019 World Taekwondo Championships, Walkden won the women's heavyweight title after Zheng Shuyin was disqualified after attaining a 20–10 lead. Faced with Zheng's subsequent inactivity, Walkden adopted the tactic of repeatedly forcing her opponent out of the ring to raise her penalty points from seven to ten, an automatic disqualification. This resulted in boos during the result announcement and medal presentation, when Zheng fell to her knees.{{Cite web |url=https://www.countytimes.co.uk/sport/national/17649420.zheng-shuyins-behaviour-disrespectful---gb-performance-director-hall/ |title=Zheng Shuyin's behaviour was 'disrespectful' – GB performance director Hall |website=County Times|date=18 May 2019 }} Walkden defended her tactics, saying: "I went out there needing to find a different way to win and a win is a win if you disqualify someone - it's not my fault."{{cite news |last1=Staniforth |first1=Mark |title='I wouldn't change it for the world': Bianca Walkden wins third world taekwondo title after opponent is disqualified |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/taekwondo/2019/05/17/wouldnt-change-world-biancawalkden-wins-third-world-taekwondo/ |website=The Daily Telegraph |date=17 May 2019 |accessdate=18 May 2019}}

In September 2019, at Chiba, Walkden was defeated 7-5 by Zheng Shuyin.{{Cite web |date=13 September 2019 |title=Zheng beats Walkden to gold as World Taekwondo Grand Prix starts in Chiba |url=https://www.insidethegames.biz/articles/1084685/world-taekwondo-grand-prix-chiba |access-date=25 July 2021 |website=www.insidethegames.biz}} In October, at the World Grand Prix event in Sofia, Zheng Shuyin defeated Walkden by 3–2.{{Cite web |date=19 October 2019 |title=Further revenge for Zheng over Walkden at World Taekwondo Grand Prix in Sofia |url=https://www.insidethegames.biz/articles/1086144/zheng-beats-walkden-world-taekwondo-gp |access-date=25 July 2021 |website=www.insidethegames.biz}}

In 2021, she won the gold medal in the women's +73 kg event at the 2021 European Taekwondo Championships held in Sofia, Bulgaria.{{Cite news |last=Houston |first=Michael |date=11 April 2021 |title=Walkden and McGowan triumph on golden last day of European Taekwondo Championships for Britain |work=InsideTheGames.biz |url=https://www.insidethegames.biz/articles/1106505/european-taekwondo-championships-day4 |access-date=13 April 2021}}{{Cite news |date=11 April 2021 |title=Two golds for Great Britain and one each for Russia and Belarus on final day of European Taekwondo Championships |work=World Taekwondo |url=http://www.worldtaekwondo.org/wtnews/view.html?nid=138061 |access-date=18 November 2022}}

At the 2023 World Championships, she finished with a bronze medal after a semi-finals defeat to Svetlana Osipova.{{cite web |title=World Taekwondo Championships: Bianca Cook takes bronze in Baku |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/taekwondo/65782781 |website=BBC Sport |access-date=13 July 2025}}

She was overlooked for selection by GB Taekwondo for the 2024 Summer Olympics, a decision that left her feeling "devastated" and "let down". Rebecca McGowan was chosen ahead of her due to her better ranking. Walkden had been world number one from 2016{{nbnd}} 2023, before missing several events with injury, and she wanted to have a fight-off with McGowan to decide selection, but the GB Taekwondo disagreed, feeling McGowan had the better chance of winning a medal.{{cite web |last1=Hope |first1=Nick |title='I deserved a fight-off' - Cook devastated after Olympic omission |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/taekwondo/articles/cne4791x43ro |website=BBC Sport |access-date=14 July 2025 |date=1 July 2024}}

Personal life

She has been in a relationship with fellow taekwondo fighter Aaron Cook since 2008, and the pair married in 2022. She once lived with international teammate Jade Jones, who is a close friend.