Five things to know about history-chasing Jade Jones
The Briton was her nation's first taekwondo Olympic champion, and is now going for her third Olympic title at Tokyo 2020.
Taekwondo
When she takes to the floor of Tokyo’s Makuhari Messe, Great Britain’s Jade Jones will be fighting to become taekwondo’s first three-time Olympic champion.
As the 28-year-old bids to make history, we give you the lowdown on her record-breaking career so far.
1 - She was crowned Britain’s first-ever Youth Olympic gold medallist in 2010
At the age of 17, Jones travelled to Singapore for the inaugural Youth Olympic Games (YOG) and won Great Britain’s first gold medal in the event, beating Vietnam's Than Thao Nguyen 9-6 in the 55kg category final by landing a kick to her opponent's head six seconds into the extra period. It also gave Jones her first major title.
“I went to Singapore in 2010 for the Youth Olympics and that's where I got my first major gold medal, 11 years ago now,” she says. “The Youth Olympics still, to this day, is one of the best memories I’ve ever had.”
2 - At London 2012, she became the first Briton to win Olympic taekwondo gold
Just two years after starring at the YOG Singapore 2010, Jones was selected to compete in the Olympic Games London 2012, and made more history as she won Britain’s first-ever Olympic taekwondo title. Aged just 19, Jones defeated China’s Hou Yuzhuo 6-4 in the final, having beaten Chinese Taipei's top seed Tseng Li-Cheng in the semi-finals.
“In London 2012, I had just turned 19. My eyes were on gold, no matter how young I was and no matter that was my first Olympics. Even now, I’m only just starting to appreciate like, wow, I did that when I was so young.”
3 - At Rio 2016, she became just the sixth taekwondo athlete to win two Olympic golds
After securing gold in London, Jones headed to the Olympic Games Rio 2016 with the weight of expectation on her young shoulders, as British fans anticipated glory once again. Despite feeling the pressure, Jones duly delivered by beating Spain's Eva Calvo 16–7 in the final, with two head kicks in the third round ensuring she retained her 57kg title.
“Going into Rio, I was kind of the favourite, everyone expected it, so it was a lot of pressure,” she says. “It was kind of more relief when I won that one.”
4 - Jones was an Athlete Role Model at the YOG Buenos Aires 2018
Having gone from the YOG to the top of the Olympic podium (twice), Jones was already an inspiration for young athletes hoping to follow in her footsteps. And at the YOG Buenos Aires 2018 she got the chance to pass on her advice in-person as an Athlete Role Model, meeting and supporting the young athletes who were competing in the Argentine capital and sharing her experiences.
“I absolutely loved being an Athlete Role Model,” she says. “I went there thinking I was going to help them, but they helped me in return. Anytime I get caught up in the winning, I just remind myself [about] seeing everyone just doing the sports that they loved made me enjoy it again.”
5 - She’s been doing everything she can to make sure she’s ready to make history in Tokyo
Jones qualified for Tokyo 2020 back in December 2019 but, like all athletes, has had to wait an extra year to compete in the Japanese capital due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the postponement of the Games to 2021. But while the pandemic has been hard for everyone, Jones has tried to use the additional time to ensure she is still at her best when she finally gets her chance to compete.
“What makes me stronger is my resilience to find a way no matter what,” she says. “The Olympic cycle is already four years and that extra year kind of took its toll, but champions adapt and that's the way I’ve seen it; I’ve got an extra year, so what can I do in that year to make sure that I’m still on top of the podium in Tokyo?”
Seeing the widespread impact of the pandemic has also given Jones greater perspective and made her value the opportunity she has to make history in Tokyo.
“I think the pandemic has changed me a lot,” she says. “I absolutely love my family and I think [the pandemic] just made me appreciate them even more. What I found the most hard was [that] I’ve always had a goal and a focus and a reason to jump out of bed in the morning, and we didn't know when the next competition was, and so I was just trying to keep myself busy. I see pressure as a privilege and I’m so privileged to be in this position and I’ve got that chance to try to go for something that no one's done before and get that third taekwondo gold medal. I literally will do anything in my power to win that gold medal.”