Jade Jones’s dream of a 3rd Olympic gold medal was shattered when she misplaced her first bout at Paris 2024.
Any hopes she harboured of preventing her means into bronze medal rivalry evaporated too when her conqueror Milijana Reljiki was eradicated in her subsequent bout.
The GB star misplaced a detailed contest to North Macedonia’s Reljiki in her opening within the spectacular environment of the Grand Palais, a historic venue with large banks of seats hovering up on both aspect of the sphere of play.
Jones had gained gold medals at each London 2012 and Rio 2016 however suffered a painful first-round exit on the Tokyo Video games.
She met the identical destiny in Paris, although Reljiki managed to edge her out solely on a high-quality margin.
That crushed Jones’ plans to turn out to be taekwondo’s first three-time Olympic gold medallist.
“I came out today, I froze,” Jones mentioned bitterly. “The expectation, the strain, I used to be making an attempt to do one thing that nobody had achieved. I knew I may. I used to be adequate.
“When it comes down to it sometimes you just freeze. You want it too much almost.”
Jones misplaced the primary spherical with Reljiki touchdown a kick to her head to say the session. The Briton steadied herself within the second, taking that to ensure the competition went into a 3rd, deciding spherical.
Reljiki lands a kick to the pinnacle (AP Picture/Andrew Medichini)
Reljiki picked up some extent to go forward initially within the third however, regardless of trailing, Jones managed to degree the rating 1-1.
As Reljiki’s kicks flew at her, she spun away however couldn’t discover a breakthrough of her personal.
That meant they have been successfully tied. Subsequently the athlete with the less penalties who had made probably the most impression on the digital scoring system wins. That was Reljiki.
Jones slumped to her knees on the lead to despair.
“She was a very strong opponent, two times [Olympic champion]. It was my honour to fight with her,” Reljiki mentioned afterwards.
“I just had to believe in myself. I worked so hard for this.”
For Jones to remain within the match and have a shot at a bronze medal by way of the repechage, she wanted to Reljiki to progress to the ultimate.
Nevertheless Reljiki was defeated within the quarter-finals, dropping to Lebanon’s Laetitia Aoun.
Jones mirrored: “I’m devastated. I came here to win. I knew I could win out of everybody.
“I am simply gutted that I did not present what I am able to, what me and the coaches labored so laborious to indicate. If something that is the most important remorse.”
She felt she was ready “bodily however clearly not mentally”.
Jones said: “I at all times know once I’m warming up, or earlier than it once I come out, I simply wasn’t letting my legs go, I wasn’t listening to my coach. I used to be simply not within the zone.
“Right now it’s pretty hard but I’m super proud of having the courage to try and do something that no one’s done.
“The extra you win the tougher it will get, the strain, the psychological aspect of it. It is simply robust.”
Controversy had overshadowed her in the build-up to these Games. Jones failed to submit to a drug test last December but was not banned after UKAD decided there was “no fault or negligence for the missed check” on her part due to “lack of cognitive capability”.
Jones now has to decide about her aggressive future
“They came on dehydration day. I wasn’t in the right mind,” Jones defined. “You’re losing the weight, you haven’t eaten and drank for a few days.
“It is sport and there is high-quality margins, completely different athletes dehydrate completely different quantities… I wasn’t in the precise thoughts to signal a chunk of paper.
“I was lucky that they looked into it and it all got sorted and it was all proven I was innocent. I’m just grateful to be here.
“I’ve by no means taken medicine, I’ve achieved lots of of exams and since then I believe I’ve achieved 13 extra exams, blood, and I’ve by no means had something in my system.”
She did not however blame that furore for contributing to her defeat, saying: “It did not assist however that is not the explanation why I misplaced. I am very grateful, and really fortunate, for everyone wanting into it correctly. I made a mistake.”
Jones is 31 years old and has a decision to make on her competitive future and whether she can do another Olympic cycle.
“Something I do I commit 100 per cent. Every little thing was all clearly for Paris. I am going to simply return residence, see my household and see,” she said.
“I do not know but, I am unsure.”
