Jones ready to fight on after Tokyo

BRITISH double Olympic taekwondo champion Jade Jones has suggested for the first time that she could fight on after the Tokyo 2020 Games.

Flint-raised Jones, 25, said she struggled for motivation after Rio 2016 and took time out to be in television programmes The Jump and Celebs Go Dating.

But visiting and mentoring athletes at the Youth Olympics – an event she won in 2010 – has “revitalised” her.

“I can’t imagine wanting to retire in a year-and-a-half,” she told BBC Sport.

“Being here in the Youth Olympics has reminded me of why I used to win.

“It wasn’t because I have long legs or I’m tactically the best, I just wanted it more than anyone else so now it’s two years until Tokyo and it’s back to being ‘psycho Jade’ and being ready to win that third gold medal.”

Jones says that after the “relief” of defending her Olympic title at Rio 2016 she needed to take a different approach to the four-year cycle leading into Tokyo 2020.

She has spent more time away from taekwondo in order to remain motivated as she aims to become the sport’s first three-time Olympic champion. “Lots of people disagree, but I’ve been training since I was a kid and haven’t had a childhood or normal teenage years, so I think it’s important to do things outside of the sport,” she said.

“We spend most of our time in an athlete bubble.”

“The Jump was the first show and it was a bit nuts being in the celeb lifestyle, but I truly enjoyed the challenge.