Two-time Olympic champion Jade Jones crashes OUT in first round of taekwondo event, three years on from Team GB star’s Tokyo heartbreak

Team GB‘s Jade Jones suffered heartbreak in her bid for a unprecedented third Olympic taekwondo gold medal as she was beaten in the first round of the women’s 57kg event in Paris.

The 31-year-old was beaten by North Macedonia’s Miljana Reljikj in a cagey affair, her opponent taking the first round 7-6 with a well-timed head shot moments before time. 

But Jones clawed her way back in the second round, winning it 5-4 by the finest of margins. 

The Croatia-based British athlete held firm in the scrappy third and deciding round, but was ultimated devasted in Paris three years on from being knocked out in the opening round in Tokyo – after a 1-1 finish saw the referee award Reljikj the victory. 

Jones’ inclusion in Britain’s Olympic team had raised eyebrows in some quarters after she was provisionally suspended by the UK Anti-Doping Agency earlier this year after refusing to provide a urine sample to drug testers in December 2023.

Jade Jones was knocked out of the women’s 57kg taekwondo event in her opening round 

The Team GB star was keen to make history and become the first athlete to win three golds in the sport

But North Macedonia’s Miljana Reljikj was able to see out the tie by the slimmest of margins

Jones, who tested negative later that day, escaped further punishment following an investigation which found she ‘bore no fault or negligence for her refusal to submit to sample collection’. 

UKAD said they were satisfied to clear the 31-year-old on ‘very exceptional circumstances’, based on confidential medical records, with her lawyer arguing she suffered a ‘loss of cognitive capacity’ when failing to comply with the request. 

Jones could yet return to competition via the repechage to win bronze should Reljikj make the final, but will face a nail-biting wait.