Jade Jones wins first Taekwondo gold since London 2012
- Published
Jade Jones claimed her first major success since taking gold at the 2012 Olympics by winning the German Open.
Jones, who lost in the first round at last month's Trelleborg Open in Sweden, beat Russian Daria Zhuravleva 13-11 to claim the -57kg title.
"After the disappointment of losing in Sweden, I was determined to do well here," said the Welsh 19-year-old.
Fellow Briton Bianca Walkden failed to seal five Open wins in a row, losing to Olga Ivanova in the +73kg semi-final.
The Russian prevailed on golden point after Walkden, who missed out on Olympic selection last year, trailed 5-4 at the end of round two.
Flint-born Jones dropped only four points on her way to the final before edging out Zhuravleva in Hamburg.
"Now it's all about my preparations for [June's] World Championships [in Mexico]," said Jones. "I only got silver last time and I'd love to win gold."
Nottingham-born Ruebyn Richards also claimed gold with his first A-Class tournament success on Saturday, beating Turkey's Muhammet Talha Sari.
He won six fights in all, including two by sudden death, after dropping down a weight division.
Jones battles to taekwondo gold
The 20-year-old, who won bronze at -80kg in Sweden last month, said: "I feel comfortable at -74kg because I am a small -80kg player."
Martin Stamper won gold in the -68kg weight division, beating fellow Briton and European champion Michael Harvey in the semi-finals.
Harvey's bronze was matched by Damon Sansum in the -87kg class as Britain enjoyed a successful tournament.
Liverpudlian Stamper, who narrowly missed a medal at the London 2012 Olympics, beat Harvey 9-4 in their semi-final before seeing off Russia's Vasilii Nikitin 11-4 in the final.
"I am so glad to be fighting at my best again," said Stamper. "This is one of the toughest opens in the world."
In the junior event on Saturday, Britain's Nishaan Landa claimed gold at -59kg, Tim Needham won silver at -45kg and Natasha Burdock finished with bronze at -42kg, while on Sunday, Scottish teenager Asia Bailey took gold at -44kg and Plymouth's Katie Bradley captured a -42kg bronze.