Jade Jones: Double Olympic champion wins third European taekwondo title
- Published
Double Olympic taekwondo champion Jade Jones has clinched her third European Championships title.
The 28-year-old defeated Turkey's Hatice Ilgun 20-5 in the women's -57kg final in Sofia, Bulgaria.
Jones had victories over Belgium's Raheleh Asemani, Finland's Suvi Mikkonen and Romania's Alexandra Ge Rache on her way to the final.
Great Britain team-mate Bradly Sinden won silver in the men's -68kg, losing 35-26 to Sarmat Tcakoev of Russia.
Jones is part of a 15-strong GB squad this week that includes reigning European champion Lauren Williams, who will look to show her return to form on Saturday, ahead of this summer's Tokyo Games, after struggling with injuries over the last two years.
On Sunday, triple world gold medallist and world number one Bianca Walkden will be the favourite for gold in the +73kg division, while male heavyweight Mahama Cho could effectively secure his place at the Olympics by securing a podium finish.
In Tokyo, Jones is aiming to become the first fighter in history to win three Olympic taekwondo gold medals after claiming titles at London 2012 and Rio 2016.