Martial arts: Jade Jones reveals how she plans to make it to the London Olympics
Oct 14 2010 by Alec Doyle, Flintshire Chronicle
JADE Jones has had an incredible few months.
In August the Flint tae kwon-do star became the first person ever to win a gold medal for Great Britain at the Youth Olympics – and had a street party in her home town to celebrate. The heroics in Singapore followed silver success in Mexico earlier this year where she just missed out in the final of the World U17 championships to a top Korean fighter.
But her everyday life is far from the glamour of the podium as she dedicates every day to training and preparing herself for a run at the Olympic gold medal in two years time in London.
To that end the 17-year-old, who originally trained at Matrix Tae Kwon-do in Saltney, moved to Manchester in April to become a full-time athlete thanks to funding from the National Lottery.
She is now locked in a cycle of training, resting and competing designed to transform her from a promising young talent into an adult medal contender.
“There is a lot of aching,” she said. “I was knocked out of the British Open in Manchester early a few weeks ago and as it has been a tough summer and there was no competition until November I thought I might get some rest.
“But I received an email full of fitness work I had to do to maintain my conditioning. Sometimes it is hard, but that is what you have to do.”
Tae kwon-do has exploded in Britain. From a nation which never expected to medal at major competitions, we have grown to expect certain competitors to deliver now.
Since Sarah Stevenson won bronze at the 2008 Beijing Games attention has turned to the Korean martial art as a potentially strong chance for Britain to win a medal at London 2012.
And Jade wants to carry the weight of the nation’s expectation on her shoulders next time around and hopefully turn a Youth Olympics gold medal into a senior one.
“Thanks to my funding I get to train at the Manchester Tae kwon-do Academy full-time.
“In the past we did not have these types of facilities or the money to invest in the best coaches but now we do and we are seeing the benefits.
“For four hours a day six days a week I train and everything I do is geared towards improving and becoming the best.”
Jade is driven and her defeat in the quarter-finals of the British Open stung her so much she is praying the draw gives her revenge in the Paris Open next month.
“I let myself down with stupid mistakes and I was beaten by Stephanie Ollive, a French girl who I knew I could beat.
“I am just hoping the draw pits us against each other in Paris so I can put it to bed and do myself justice. I’d like to get a little revenge.”
Jade still visits home as often as she can but so intense is her training she readily admits she is often not much fun.
“I go back to see my family and my old friends from Flint High School,” she said.
“But when I get back I am often so tired from training that I can’t go out and do much.
“I had that in school as well. My mates would often try to get me to go out but they did realise that tae kwon-do came first and when they see me perform on the international stage now, they are proud.”
And in 2012, that pride could well reach new heights if Jade can realise her Olympic ambition.
“I am really pleased with how this year has gone,” she said. “But I need to make sure that I continue to improve in order to give myself the best chance in the Olympics.”
And if Jade’s determination and focus continue as they are, who will stop her?
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