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Matt Bush (taekwondo)
Matt Bush (born 22 December 1988) is a Welsh para taekwondo practitioner who competes in the F44 classification in the +80 kg category. Bush, who does not have a left hand and forearm, is a two-time champion at the World Para Taekwondo Championships. CareerPrior to his para taekwondo career, Bush was a javelin thrower. He had been set to make his Paralympic debut at the 2016 Summer Paralympics but he withdrew due to a shoulder injury.[1] Shortly afterward, he switched to para taekwondo.[2] At the 2019 World Championships, Bush won the gold medal to become Britain's first world champion in para taewkwondo.[3][4] He was named to the national para taekwondo squad at the rescheduled 2020 Summer Paralympics in 2021 in para taekwondo.[5] However he was forced to withdraw after he had injured his ACL and was replace by his teammate Joe Lane.[6][7] At the 2023 European Para Championships, Bush won the silver medal after losing to Ivan Mikulić in the gold medal match.[8] At the World Championships in September 2023, he won his second gold medal.[9] Bush competed in the 2024 European Taekwondo Championships, where he won the gold medal in his category.[10] The following month, he was announced as one of three members and the only male of the British para taekwondo team for the 2024 Summer Paralympics.[11] Bush defeated Neutral Paralympic athlete Aliaskhab Ramazanov in the men's K44 +80 kg final to claim gold at the 2024 Paralympics Games in Paris, France.[12] He was chosen as one of Great Britain's flagbearers for the closing ceremony alongside swimmer Poppy Maskill.[13] References
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