Golden way ahead for housemates
HOUSEMATES winning gold at Rio could be set to become a recurring theme.
Hard on the heels of Jack Laugher and Chris Mears’ gold in the diving, taekwondo Olympic Champion Jade Jones and World Champion Bianca Walkden are aiming to do the same in the lightweight and heavyweight divisions.
The 23-year-old from Flint and the 24-year-old from Liverpool share a home close to the sport’s Manchester HQ.
“We’ve lived together for six or seven years and we’re best mates,” says Bianca. “It would be amazing if we both won gold.
“It helps because we push each other on. And if things go wrong, we can go home and cry about it together.
“I’m a year older than Jade so I tend to mother her. She’s really messy so I do most of the cooking and cleaning.”
Jade adds: “Because we’re both so dedicated to getting those gold medals, the arrangement works really well.
“We go shopping together, we try to eat perfectly and we go to sleep at the right time.”
It was Jones who was largely responsible for taekwondo taking off in the public’s eye four years ago in London.
Everyone remembers the TV commentator yelling: “You little beauty!” when she sealed her gold medal at just 19.
“I loved that,” Jade grins. “I remember hearing it in the arena at the time.
“I still watch the video, especially if I’ve had a hard day or I’m losing a bit of motivation.
“I see how focused I was. I can see in my face that I didn’t give a damn. That’s the same look and drive I need this week.
“I used to have the medal right by my bed. But now it’s in a safe. I bring it out now and again to have a look.
“Before London, people didn’t even know what taekwondo was. I’ve come from a little council house in Flint, north Wales, and I’ve had so many opportunities because of it.”