GB's Truesdale wins world para-taekwondo title in 2017
Britain's Amy Truesdale hopes to secure her place at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics by defending her world crown at the World Para-taekwondo Championships in Turkey.
The 30-year-old, who won world gold in 2014 and 2017, is so far ahead in the global standings that another title would effectively seal qualification.
"It would be great to start the year with a win," Truesdale told BBC Sport.
She is part of a three-strong GB team for the event, which begins in Antalya on Tuesday.
The fighter joined the GB Taekwondo Academy in Manchester full-time last year following UK Sport's decision to invest £519,000 in a Para-taekwondo programme before its Paralympic debut at Tokyo 2020.
As a result, Truesdale has benefited from training within the set-up that helped Jade Jones and Bianca Walkden claim their respective Olympic and world titles.
"Jade and Bianca have been a massive inspiration to everyone," she said.
"They have really taken taekwondo to the next level and I've learned so much from them as well as the team here.
"They've encouraged a lot of girls to try the sport and I'm very passionate about disability sport, so I'd like to be the face of para-taekwondo who inspires more women to get involved in my sport."
Truesdale claimed a bronze medal at the inaugural World Para Taekwondo Championships in 2009 and was unbeaten in 2017, before suffering three defeats in 2018.
The fighter, who was born without a lower left arm, says the sport has undergone a major transformation in the last decade.
"Since learning we'd be in Tokyo there are now more Para-taekwondo teams and more people involved than ever, so it's going from strength to strength.
"I do like a challenge, but my preparation for these world championships has been great and I'm really excited because I could be the first person who gets to go to Tokyo, which would be a really big achievement," she said.
GB World Para-taekwondo Championships team for Antalya 2019:
Amy Truesdale (+58kg/k44), Joseph Lane (-73kg/k44), Matt Bush (+75kg/k44).
