Jones aims to shrug off controversy in bid for third gold

Jade Jones is nicknamed 'The Headhunter'

Jade Jones is aiming to shrug off any lingering controversy over a missed drugs test in the build-up to her bid to become a three-time Olympic gold medallist in taekwondo.

The 31-year-old Welsh fighter opens her account in the women's -57kg division against Miljana Reljikj of North Macedonia on Thursday .

But her appearance at the Paris Games had been thrown into doubt earlier this year when she was suspended pending further investigations.

Jones ultimately escaped sanction after being found to having committed a no-fault doping violation on confidential medical grounds, allowing her to return to competition at the European Championships in Belgrade, where she won a silver medal.

The Flint athlete has kept a low profile since the saga, spending much of her time training in Croatia as she prepares to take to the mat for her fourth Games.

Jones escaped a ban due to what the UK Anti-Doping Agency (UKAD) described as "very exceptional circumstances" relating to confidential medical records after her failure to provide a sample to an official who arrived at her hotel early on 1 December.

She signed a document to say she was unable to do so due to undergoing dehydration training prior to a weigh-in. Later that same day, she provided a sample to a separate tester, which proved negative.

Despite the generally accepted rule that a missed test is to be treated the same as a failed one, UKAD took into account the view of a consultant psychiatrist who said that Jones' "decision to refuse or failure to provide a sample occurred as a direct result of her cognitive impairment".

As a result, UKAD ruled that Jones bore "no fault or negligence for her refusal or failure to submit to her sample collection".

At the time, Jones said in a statement: "I understand and accept UKAD's decision.

"At the moment this started, I didn't grasp the situation I was in and what could happen. I gave a negative sample later that day, but it's clear I made a mistake that morning.

"What I understand now is not just the mistake I made but the reasons it happened and that there could have been different consequences.

"I want to thank UKAD for listening and seeing the circumstances and GB Taekwondo for their support. I'm grateful that my actions have been properly understood and that I can continue to compete."

Jones won her first Olympic gold medal at London 2012 aged just 19 and followed it up by successfully defending her title in Rio four years later.

Despite adding her first world title in Manchester in 2019, Jones could not make it three Olympic titles in a row.

Jones went to Tokyo as the double defending champion and heavy favourite for a third gold, but was beaten at the first hurdle by Kimia Alizadeh, then representing the Refugee Team, who subsequently began representing Bulgaria and could meet Jones in a semi-final rematch.

Two-time world champion and Tokyo silver medallist Bradly Sinden also competes on Thursday in the men's -68kg division, starting against Kevin Kassman of Papua New Guinea.