Team GB taekwondo player Charlie Maddock has admitted that she "lost focus" in the final seconds of her preliminary women's -49kg bout with Iryna Romoldanova at the European Games today.
Maddock was the more aggressive of the two fighters throughout the fight and led for the vast majority of the contest, only to be caught with a head shot in the dying stages to force a deciding golden point.
The 19-year-old bounced back to beat her higher-ranked Ukrainian opponent 8-7 in the end, but she acknowledged that switching to a more defensive style when she had a three-point lead cost her.
"I think I just lost focus. I needed to get on it more instead of sitting back," she told Sports Mole.
"Because I had the three points I felt comfortable, and I think that's how I got caught instead of keeping on it. You've just got to refocus and get on to it and score the next point."
Maddock will face Erica Nicoli in the quarter-finals after the Italian surprised Spaniard Brigida Yague this morning, but the Brit is refusing to underestimate her opponent.
"You never know until the day. It's who fights better on the day - it's never predictable," she added.
Maddock's compatriot Max Cater also progressed to the quarter-finals on the opening day of taekwondo action in Baku.
Barney Corkhill
