Abbots Langley's Hannah Johnson celebrated winning a gold medal at the British Tae Kwon Do National Championships.

The 22-year-old competed in the senior female +73kg division and emerged as the winner of her competition in Manchester.

Johnson said: “It obviously felt really good to win gold.

“It’s been really hard work in the build-up to the championships but I’m just glad that it’s paid off and it makes it all worth it.

“You never really go into a competition expecting to win so to come away with first place was a very nice surprise for me.”

For the fourth year running Johnson made the trip to Manchester to compete against the best in Britain. She had already won a bronze and two silvers in previous years.

Johnson, ranked 114th in the world, has spent time over the past year training with the Great Britain team, which has meant spending time in Manchester.

She also spends time in Hungary annually training with Olympians and world champions, which has always been her preparation for the National Championships.

Domestically, Johnson trains in London and travels to White City twice weekly in addition to two sessions at Woodside Leisure Centre.

A busy year of competition on the international circuit lies ahead while Johnson is also targeting a title defence next year when she returns to the national championships in 12 months.