Jade Jones is determined to shake off the ongoing controversy over her missed doping test and become a three-time Olympic taekwondo champion at the Grand Palais in Paris on Thursday.
The 31-year-old opens her campaign in the women’s -57kg weight class against Miljana Reljikj of North Macedonia, although her participation in the Games was called into question earlier this year when she was suspended pending further investigations.
Jones ultimately escaped sanction after being found guilty of a no-fault doping violation on medical grounds, and was therefore able to compete again at the European Championships in Belgrade, where she won a silver medal.
Jones has kept a low profile since the saga, spending much of her time training in Croatia, but sources close to the Welsh star claim she has suffered minimal disruption and is in excellent shape as she prepares to take to the mat for her fourth Games.
Jones traveled to Tokyo as the two-time defending champion and clear favorite for a third gold medal, but lost at the first hurdle to Kimia Alizadeh, who played for the refugee team at the time and later competed for Bulgaria. She could now face Jones in a semifinal rematch.
She escaped a ban due to what the British Anti-Doping Agency (UKAD) described as “very exceptional circumstances” relating to confidential medical records after she refused to provide a sample to an official who arrived at her hotel early on December 1.
Jones signed a document declaring she was unable to do so because she had completed a dehydration workout prior to weighing in. Later that day, she gave a sample to another tester, which came back negative.
Despite the generally accepted rule that a missed test should be treated in the same way as a failed one, UKAD took into account the view of a consultant psychiatrist who said that Jones’ “decision to refuse or not to provide a sample was a direct consequence of her cognitive impairment”.
UKAD subsequently ruled that Jones was “not at fault or negligent for her refusal or failure to submit to sample collection.”
At the time, Jones said in a statement: “I understand and accept UKAD’s decision.
“When this all started, I was not aware of the situation I was in and what could happen. Later that day I gave a negative sample, but it is clear that I had made a mistake that morning.
“What I understand now is not only the mistake I made, but also the reasons why it happened and that it could have had other consequences.
“I would like to thank UKAD for listening and seeing the circumstances and GB Taekwondo for their support. I am grateful that my actions have been properly understood and that I can continue to compete.”
Jones won her first Olympic gold medal in London in 2012 at the age of just 19 and successfully defended her title four years later in Rio.
Although Jones won her first world title in Manchester in 2019, she failed to win three Olympic titles in a row, losing to Alizadeh in the round of 16.
Two-time world champion and Tokyo silver medalist Bradly Sinden will also compete in the men’s 68 kg class on Thursday, taking on Kevin Kassman from Papua New Guinea.
