Aaron Cook (taekwondo athlete)
Encyclopedia
Aaron Arthur Cook (born 2 January 1991 in Dorchester, Dorset
, England
) is a British taekwondo
athlete who qualified for the 2008 Summer Olympics
.
However just one week later Cook turned up at the German Open Championships in Bonn
to take his maiden senior open title. In the final he defeated fellow team member Davoud Etminani in a really close battle with a finishing score of 12-11. He then went to compete and secured his place on the British team for the 2007 World Taekwondo Championships
at closed a door round robin competition held at Loughborough University
. at the 2007 World Taekwondo Championship and on his debut he was drawn against Iceland
in the first bout, He won on superiority over his opponent. In the second round he faced the toughest opponent of his very young career, Hadi Saei
of Iran
who placed first at both the 2005 World Taekwondo Championships
held in Madrid
and the 2004 Olympics held in Athens
. Aaron gave a good count of himself but could not pass the massively experienced Iran
ian with a final score of 11-6. Hadi Saei
progressed through the tournament to the semi final where he lost on a technicallity to Afghanistan
's Nesar Ahmad Bahavee.
Later in his debut year, Cook tried to qualify a spot for British team for the 2008 Olympic Games. By competing at the 2007 World Qualification Tournament held at the MEN Arena Manchester
. In the first round he was faced against Ireland's Sean Joyce
, Cook had a comfortable victory never really being pressured by the Irishman finishing the bout within the scheduled time 9-2. The same result occurred against Switzerland's Markus Jiskra
a 9-2 scoreline ending the bout in favour of Cook. In the or the last 16 Cook faced a stiffer task against Philippines
' Briones a stronger opponent physically pushed Cook harder than his previous opponents however Cook still secured a comfortable victory with a final score of 5-2. However in the Quarter Finals Cook's dream of qualification in front of a home crowd shattered as he faced Italian Mauro Sarmiento
, with scores tied 3-3 going into the final round, Cook looked to draw his tall opponent in but received a kick to the temple knocking him to the mat. This opened up a lead for Mauro Sarmiento which Cook just could close with all his efforts as he simple pushed out of the distance with the long reach and advantage the Italian held. The bout finished 5-3 along with Cook's dreams of qualification in Manchester. Cook would have one more chance of qualification in European Qualification Tournament to be held in Istanbul
, Turkey in January 2008
representing the Marshall Islands
, The Marshallese athlete is the first person in history to qualify for any Olympic Sport from the small islands. The match finished 7-0 in favour of Aaron Cook. The second match was against a higher class of competitor, he was due to fight Carlos Vasquez
of Venezuela
. Vasquez who is a former World Bronze Medalist from the 2005 World Taekwondo Championships
where he also took the favourite and now reigning 4 time World Champion and Two Time Olympic Champion, Steven López
of the USA to a decisive 4th round. however this match went in favor of Cook again ending the match at the end of the scheduled 3 rounds with a final score line of 5-2.
In the semi-finals however Aaron Cook suffered a tall task as he was due to fight 6 ft 5in Italian Mauro Sarmiento
. The two fought before at the 2007 World Taekwondo Qualification Tournament in the MEN Arena Manchester
last September. They fought at the quarter final stage in that tournament where victory was landed with Mauro Sarmiento after a head shot knocked Cook to the mat, the final score was 5-3 with much displeasure to the home crowd. However at the end of the 3 rounds with just 5 secs to go, the scores were locked at 5-5. Cook who had never taken a match to sudden death, launched his final assault, throwing two body blows to the trunk protector of Mauro Sarmiento which he believed had scored. However a kick by Sarmiento which Cook believed had hit his arm was scored and no points were awarded for his own attack, leaving a final score 6-5 in favour of Mauro Sarmiento.
After a defeat in the semi finals this had placed Cook in the Bronze Medal Match of the Repecharge against the home crowds hope Zhu Guo
of China. Cook looked to have put behind him the lows of his defeat from the semi final match with a head shot which once again was unawarded by the referees. Cook looked to Mexican referee Rosa Adam who was standing just 1 metre away to stop the contest for a judge discussion but to no avail. After a series body blows to the chest of Zhu Guo and another head shot going unawarded and couple of minor deductions Cook found himself 2-(-1) behind at the end of two rounds. Aaron finally got on the score card with a 360 turning kick and another shot to the chest, closing the gap 3-1. However, counter attacking Zhu Guo extended his lead as Cook tried to sell another point unawarded by the four corner judges. The contest closed with much displeasure to Cook and the neutral taekwondo fans who attended the USTB Gymnasium. Cook was later baffled that a protest was not lodged against the result by his supporting team.
Aaron speaking after his defeat against China:
Dorset
Dorset , is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The county town is Dorchester which is situated in the south. The Hampshire towns of Bournemouth and Christchurch joined the county with the reorganisation of local government in 1974...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
) is a British taekwondo
Taekwondo
Taekwondo is a Korean martial art and the national sport of South Korea. In Korean, tae means "to strike or break with foot"; kwon means "to strike or break with fist"; and do means "way", "method", or "path"...
athlete who qualified for the 2008 Summer Olympics
2008 Summer Olympics
The 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, was a major international multi-sport event that took place in Beijing, China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008. A total of 11,028 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees competed in 28 sports and 302 events...
.
Education
Aaron attended Manor Park First School, St. Osmund's Middle School and the Thomas Hardye School, all in Dorchester. However, Cook never completed his GCSE examinations, as he was busy devoting his full efforts and concentration on achieving Olympic success. He has however said that he intends to return to full time education once his fighting career has ended.Breakthrough to Seniors
Aaron made his breakthrough into Seniors at the 2007 Dutch Open Championships held in Eindhoven, aged just 16. Cook took bronze in his debut seniors competition, losing out to French athlete Torann Mazeroi 12-10 in the quarters. It was observed however that two headshots from Cook, with the score being 11-10, went unawarded by the four judges. If these had scored, Cook would have landed himself his first seniors final on his debut.However just one week later Cook turned up at the German Open Championships in Bonn
Bonn
Bonn is the 19th largest city in Germany. Located in the Cologne/Bonn Region, about 25 kilometres south of Cologne on the river Rhine in the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, it was the capital of West Germany from 1949 to 1990 and the official seat of government of united Germany from 1990 to 1999....
to take his maiden senior open title. In the final he defeated fellow team member Davoud Etminani in a really close battle with a finishing score of 12-11. He then went to compete and secured his place on the British team for the 2007 World Taekwondo Championships
2007 World Taekwondo Championships
The 2007 World Taekwondo Championships were the 18th edition of the World Taekwondo Championships, and were held in Beijing, China from May 18 to May 22, 2007.-Men:-Women:-Medal table:-Men:-Women:-References:*...
at closed a door round robin competition held at Loughborough University
Loughborough University
Loughborough University is a research based campus university located in the market town of Loughborough, Leicestershire, in the East Midlands of England...
. at the 2007 World Taekwondo Championship and on his debut he was drawn against Iceland
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
in the first bout, He won on superiority over his opponent. In the second round he faced the toughest opponent of his very young career, Hadi Saei
Hadi Saei
Hadi Saei Bonehkohal is a former Iranian Azerbaijani Taekwondo athlete who became the most successful Iranian athlete in Olympic history after winning gold in the 2008 Summer Olympics. He competed in the Men's 68 kg at the 2004 Summer Olympics and won the gold medal...
of Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
who placed first at both the 2005 World Taekwondo Championships
2005 World Taekwondo Championships
The 2005 World Taekwondo Championships were the 17th edition of the World Taekwondo Championships, and were held in Madrid, Spain from 13 to 17 April 2005.-Men:-Women:-Medal table:-Team ranking:...
held in Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
and the 2004 Olympics held in Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
. Aaron gave a good count of himself but could not pass the massively experienced Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
ian with a final score of 11-6. Hadi Saei
Hadi Saei
Hadi Saei Bonehkohal is a former Iranian Azerbaijani Taekwondo athlete who became the most successful Iranian athlete in Olympic history after winning gold in the 2008 Summer Olympics. He competed in the Men's 68 kg at the 2004 Summer Olympics and won the gold medal...
progressed through the tournament to the semi final where he lost on a technicallity to Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
's Nesar Ahmad Bahavee.
Later in his debut year, Cook tried to qualify a spot for British team for the 2008 Olympic Games. By competing at the 2007 World Qualification Tournament held at the MEN Arena Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
. In the first round he was faced against Ireland's Sean Joyce
Sean Joyce
Sean William Joyce is an English former professional footballer who made 200 appearances in the Football League playing for Doncaster Rovers, Exeter City and Torquay United...
, Cook had a comfortable victory never really being pressured by the Irishman finishing the bout within the scheduled time 9-2. The same result occurred against Switzerland's Markus Jiskra
Markus Jiskra
Markus Jiskra is a Swiss international Taekwondo player. He reached the quarter-final of the 2008 European Championships in Rome, and competed in the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.-References:...
a 9-2 scoreline ending the bout in favour of Cook. In the or the last 16 Cook faced a stiffer task against Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
' Briones a stronger opponent physically pushed Cook harder than his previous opponents however Cook still secured a comfortable victory with a final score of 5-2. However in the Quarter Finals Cook's dream of qualification in front of a home crowd shattered as he faced Italian Mauro Sarmiento
Mauro Sarmiento
Mauro Sarmiento is an Italian martial artist. He represented Italy in Taekwondo at the 2008 Summer Olympics - Men's 80 kg, and won the silver medal, upsetting two-time Olympic champion Steven López of the United States in the quarterfinals. In the gold medal round he lost to Hadi Saei.- References :...
, with scores tied 3-3 going into the final round, Cook looked to draw his tall opponent in but received a kick to the temple knocking him to the mat. This opened up a lead for Mauro Sarmiento which Cook just could close with all his efforts as he simple pushed out of the distance with the long reach and advantage the Italian held. The bout finished 5-3 along with Cook's dreams of qualification in Manchester. Cook would have one more chance of qualification in European Qualification Tournament to be held in Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
, Turkey in January 2008
2008 Summer Olympics
In his Olympic debut he got off to a scintillating start defeating Anju JasonAnju Jason
Anju Jason became the first Marshallese sportsperson in history to qualify for the Olympics in 2008. He competes in taekwondo. Jason, who was born in the Marshall Islands, moved to Hawaii at the age of six...
representing the Marshall Islands
Marshall Islands
The Republic of the Marshall Islands , , is a Micronesian nation of atolls and islands in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, just west of the International Date Line and just north of the Equator. As of July 2011 the population was 67,182...
, The Marshallese athlete is the first person in history to qualify for any Olympic Sport from the small islands. The match finished 7-0 in favour of Aaron Cook. The second match was against a higher class of competitor, he was due to fight Carlos Vasquez
Carlos Vásquez
Carlos Augusto Vásquez is a Minor League Baseball pitcher for the Florida Marlins organization.Vásquez was originally signed as an undrafted free agent by the Chicago Cubs on February 21, 2000. Vásquez missed the season after undergoing Tommy John Surgery on November 2, 2000.In , Vásquez spent...
of Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
. Vasquez who is a former World Bronze Medalist from the 2005 World Taekwondo Championships
2005 World Taekwondo Championships
The 2005 World Taekwondo Championships were the 17th edition of the World Taekwondo Championships, and were held in Madrid, Spain from 13 to 17 April 2005.-Men:-Women:-Medal table:-Team ranking:...
where he also took the favourite and now reigning 4 time World Champion and Two Time Olympic Champion, Steven López
Steven López
Steven López is a 2000 and 2004 Olympic Gold medalist and a 2008 Olympic Bronze medalist in taekwondo. In 2001, he won the Lightweight Taekwondo World Championship, and in 2003 he won the Welterweight Taekwondo World Championship which he has since won in 2005, 2007 and 2009 making him the first...
of the USA to a decisive 4th round. however this match went in favor of Cook again ending the match at the end of the scheduled 3 rounds with a final score line of 5-2.
In the semi-finals however Aaron Cook suffered a tall task as he was due to fight 6 ft 5in Italian Mauro Sarmiento
Mauro Sarmiento
Mauro Sarmiento is an Italian martial artist. He represented Italy in Taekwondo at the 2008 Summer Olympics - Men's 80 kg, and won the silver medal, upsetting two-time Olympic champion Steven López of the United States in the quarterfinals. In the gold medal round he lost to Hadi Saei.- References :...
. The two fought before at the 2007 World Taekwondo Qualification Tournament in the MEN Arena Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
last September. They fought at the quarter final stage in that tournament where victory was landed with Mauro Sarmiento after a head shot knocked Cook to the mat, the final score was 5-3 with much displeasure to the home crowd. However at the end of the 3 rounds with just 5 secs to go, the scores were locked at 5-5. Cook who had never taken a match to sudden death, launched his final assault, throwing two body blows to the trunk protector of Mauro Sarmiento which he believed had scored. However a kick by Sarmiento which Cook believed had hit his arm was scored and no points were awarded for his own attack, leaving a final score 6-5 in favour of Mauro Sarmiento.
After a defeat in the semi finals this had placed Cook in the Bronze Medal Match of the Repecharge against the home crowds hope Zhu Guo
Zhu Guo
Zhu Guo is a male Chinese Taekwondo practitioner.At the 2008 Summer Olympics Zhu won the bronze medal in the men's 80 kg category...
of China. Cook looked to have put behind him the lows of his defeat from the semi final match with a head shot which once again was unawarded by the referees. Cook looked to Mexican referee Rosa Adam who was standing just 1 metre away to stop the contest for a judge discussion but to no avail. After a series body blows to the chest of Zhu Guo and another head shot going unawarded and couple of minor deductions Cook found himself 2-(-1) behind at the end of two rounds. Aaron finally got on the score card with a 360 turning kick and another shot to the chest, closing the gap 3-1. However, counter attacking Zhu Guo extended his lead as Cook tried to sell another point unawarded by the four corner judges. The contest closed with much displeasure to Cook and the neutral taekwondo fans who attended the USTB Gymnasium. Cook was later baffled that a protest was not lodged against the result by his supporting team.
Aaron speaking after his defeat against China:
"I am so gutted. I came so close. I thought the scoring was absolutely horrendous. I don't know what the judges were looking at, they must have been looking in the crowd.
'I never tried so much in a match, and it still wasn't enough, and then I didn't know what I had to do. I am miles better than that guy. The crowd didn't affect me, but it must have affected the scoring.
'I can't believe the scoring. Words can't explain how absolutely gutted I am to come so close to a medal. I had the right tactics. I'd have been five to six points ahead in any other taekwondo fight."