In the stifling heat the 16-year-old from Dorchester saw off Maojie Sun from China in a tough match which saw both athletes struggle with the conditions.

 

Cook’s start was not ideal going down 6-2 and finishing the first round on 6-4.

 

 

The next round finished on 9-9 as the heat was beginning to affect Cook. In the last round both athletes were struggling with the heat exhaustion.

 

“There’s a voice in your head that tells you to stop and then there’s a part of you that says keep going,” Cook later said of his persistence.

 

Sun, a patient counter-fighter, picked his shots with clockwork precision, and lured Cook into a series of painful body blows.

 

A crowd-stunning head kick leveled the scores in round two, providing a badly needed second wind for the Brit, who gathered momentum and powered ahead.

 

Despite fatigue and exhaustion which left both fighters doubled over, Cook found strength from his coach, who was yelling “get up, get up” from the corner.

 

Sun tried to close the points gap to no avail, as Cook ran out the clock and sealed his victory at 10:7.

 

Throwing his headgear into the crowd and collapsing to the mat, the tourist will go home with an AYOF gold medal.

 

Stella Whitehead also won a taekwondo medal for Team GB, claiming a bronze in the women's 55-63kg category.

 

The 15-year-old from Doncaster was denied the gold she had hoped for but came through the repechage to ensure she does not leave Sydney empty-handed.