Taekwondo champion's Olympic hopes

Taekwondo champion Sarah Stevenson was due to find out today whether she was included in the line-up for the Olympics.

Team GB Taekwondo have delayed the announcement of their Olympic squad amid reports European champion Aaron Cook had not been selected.

Taekwondo is one of the host nations' leading hopes for London having delivered four medals at the 2011 World Championships in Korea, including gold for Sarah, who is currently recovering from a knee operation.

However, it has been reported Cook, who made the controversial decision to train outside the elite programme at the GB Academy after a disappointing display in Korea, failed to make final selection for the London Olympic squad despite retaining his under-80kg European title in Manchester earlier this month. He's apparently set to appeal - delaying the announcement.

Meanwhile Sarah has been named as the fourth most inspirational woman in sport.

Zest magazine has named the Doncaster-based woman in the 2012 poll for battling her way to her third world title, while simultaneously nursing both her parents through terminal cancer. They both died within the last year.

Sarah, 28, from Bentley, who is under a gruelling Olympic training session, managed to win the world title last year, even though her father Roy died from a brain tumour in July and her mother Diane lost her battle with cancer three months later.

Earlier this year, the medal hopeful was awarded an MBE by the Queen for her services to martial arts.

After winning Britain’s first ever tae kwon do Olympic medal by claiming bronze in Beijing in 2008, Sarah agonised about competing in the World Championships after taking time out to care for her parents but went on to win in the 67kg category in South Korea and dedicated her success to her family.