(Aug. 16, 2024) - Caden Cunningham’s efforts in Paris 2024 earned him a silver Olympic medal – and a royal title.

 

The former was granted by the IOC. The latter appeared out of thin air.

 

“After my fight, I said, ‘I might’ve lost [2-1], but those two rounds don’t define me. Going forward, I’ll be the king of Taekwondo,’” he recalled.

 

The statement by the Team GB heavyweight silver medalist was made off-the-cuff, but media and public latched onto it. Now, it’s his de facto nickname.

 

“Since then, I’ve seen it in places, and had a lot of comments on it,” he said. “I think I’m going to stick with it.”

 

If that sounds like arrogance, don’t be fooled: Cunningham is full of praise for Iran’s Arian Salimi, who beat him in the M+80kg final at the Grand Palais.

 

“The athlete I was against was simply better,” he said. “I had to try and get my points, he fought very hard and came out the victor.”

 

The fight was notable for the clean techniques deployed, and its good nature: Both men touched knuckles at rounds’ end, and embraced briefly before embarking on the final, deciding round.

 

Like many other Paris 2024 matches, it was also noticeable for the passing of the torch down to a new generation. Cunningham is a 21; Salimi is 20.

  

Both men represent the sport’s new breed, as rule changes shift the game away from the tactical, front-leg focused play of yore to a more crowd-pleasing, rough-and-tumble form of Taekwondo.

 

That suits Cunningham.

 

“I like to do everything: spins, head shots, body shots,” he said. “I train the kicks lightweights do and the kicks heavyweights do.”

 

Unfamiliar with Salimi’s game, his pre-fight strategy in the final was necessarily simple: “Kick him more than he kicks me! That does not change.”

 

The core of Cunningham’s Taekwondo is exuberance in performance. “If I enjoy it, I perform well,” he said. “I go in there excited to kick and have some fun.”

 

Fighting bubbles in the blood of the Huddersfield native: Dad was a kickboxer. He took up Taekwondo aged six, as an after-school activity, then began serious training under one of GB’s leading coaches.

 

“Where I really progressed was under Mike McKenzie of Quest Taekwondo,” he said. “That is where I really grew as an athlete.”

 

Peniston-based McKenzie trained Cunningham alongside a crop of promising young guns, including current GB Teammate, Aaliyah Powell.

 

“They were the full package – hard working, intelligent, coachable, dedicated,” McKenzie recalled. “They had the right physicality for Taekwondo athletes and had the total support of their families.”

 

Quest set Cunningham’s feet on the elite pathway. Five years ago, he was accepted by GB Taekwondo and joined the national squad.

 

He would win multiple medals across Europe, but suffered injury at the 2022 Worlds. Recovering, he would grabbed gold and silver in the 2023 Grand Prix – then it was Paris.

 

“I did not bring home the gold but went through four very tough fights,” he said.

 

Indeed: His bout against veteran Rio Gold Medalist Cheick Sallah Cisse of Cote d’Ivoire had the Grand Palais roaring.  

 

“I took out three World Champions and three Olympic medalists,” he said. ”It was an amazing day of competition, no matter what the medal was.”

 

McKenzie, who travelled from Peniston to Paris to watch his protege fight through the day, agreed.

 

“His draw was incredibly had, but winning GB’s first heavyweight male Olympic medal is an amazing achievement,” McKenzie said. “I’d like it to have been gold, but that will wait for Los Angeles!”

 

Looking ahead, the route to the 2028 Olympics - when Cunningham will be 25, his physical peak - will require serious planning between the athlete, Coach Nelson Saenz Miller, and Team GB.

 

Before that, a “relax and review” period will look back over the four-year, pre-Paris cycle. For now, Cunningham is enjoying the national good will – and noting some talent scouting.

  

His standout appearance - chiseled goods looks, hair fashionably cropped into dreads and the Homeric physique you would expect of an Olympic heavyweight – has also captured the gaze of fashionistas. He has a side gig modelling, and has featured in famed men’s style magazine GQ.

 

Will he model more?

 

“Potentially,” he said. “When that stuff comes along, I grab opportunities if they are right for me.”

 

However, even if the menswear brands beckon him with bundles of bucks, they are not about to lure him away from his raison d’etre.

 

“My motivation is to train hard and kick people in the face,” he said. “I enjoy fighting. This my happy place.”