Sarah Stevenson scoops gold at British Taekwondo Championships

OLYMPIC bronze medallist Sarah Stevenson claimed Great Britain's first gold at the British Taekwondo Championships in Manchester.

 GOLDEN GIRL: Sarah Stevenson wins gold in her first major championships after two ankle operations

The 26-year old from Doncaster showed no signs of the ankle injury which kept her out of last year's inaugural championships as she defeated Spain's Sandra Rodelas Lorenzo 9-2 in the -73kg final at the Manchester Regional Arena.

Stevenson admitted she had a few problems adapting to the new electronic scoring system but after the scoring error which disrupted her Olympic campaign last year, she was enthusiastic about the change.

And with the World Championships in Copenhagen looming large in October, Stevenson insisted she was in great shape following her two ankle operations earlier in the year.

 "My ankle feels fine now," said Stevenson. "I've been back in training for quite a while now but its great to have so much success in my return to major competition.

"I found the first couple of matches quite tricky. It's a bit harder to score with the new electronic scoring pads and I think everyone will need to adjust their technique a little.

"But it's an important step in making the sport as fair as possible."

Mansfield's Tyrone Robinson also picked up a medal for Great Britain but had to settle for bronze in the -58kg category after losing his semi final to European Champion, Germany's Levent Tuncat.

Teenage Olympian Aaron Cook was also in action in Manchester but in a tight bout with Korea's Kim Jae Hak, the 18-year old lost out in the final second.