‘I felt scared, I got trapped in fear mode’: Tearful Jade Jones admits she is ‘devastated’ in heart-wrenching interview after Team GB’s double Olympic taekwondo champion is knocked out in the first round in Tokyo
Team GB taekwondo star Jade Jones was in tears after her stunning first round defeat to Kimia Alizadeh Zenoorin at the Tokyo Olympics, and she conceded she was ‘scared’ and had put too much pressure on herself.
The two-time Olympic champion was shocked by the underdog Alizadeh Zenoorin, the bronze medallist from Rio de Janeiro competing with the Olympic Refugee team, despite being one of the favourites to bring home a gold medal.
Jones was distraught while speaking to the media and said she was still finding her loss difficult to process, and also struggled without her family in Japan.
‘I’ve still not had a lot of time to think about it, I think it will take a while to sink in but I think I just put too much pressure on myself,’ she told the BBC.
‘Coming out was hard, I felt scared, I just felt too much pressure and the whole tournament has been different to what I’m used to.
‘I’m used to having my family with me so that when I am scared coming out them cheering for me just gives me that extra push to go for it, so I just got trapped in that fear mode today.
Jade Jones was distraught after her shock first round taekwondo loss as she fought back tears
Team GB’s Jones was stunned in the first round after losing to Kimia Alizadeh Zenoorin
‘Obviously just devastated. I think I could have done more but I gave it my best under the circumstances and just gutted and wish I could have brought back the gold for everyone at home.
Jones was on the hunt for a third consecutive title in the women’s -57kg category, having taken gold in London and Rio.
But instead, she looked stunned after her defeat was sealed, which came despite her winning the first round 6-4.
Alizadeh Zenoorin then rallied to take the next two 6-2, 6-4, preventing Jones from asserting any control throughout, and celebrated wildly.
Jones said she was ‘scared’ in her defeat and struggled without her family with her in Tokyo in an emotional interview
Jones had been on the hunt for a third consecutive title but instead crashed out early in Tokyo
Jones may still have a chance of clinching bronze through the repechage, however, but that would rely on Alizadeh Zenoorin reaching the final.
Her close friend Bianca Walkden was reduced to tears in the crowd, as were several other team-mates, after watching Jones’ knockout.
Alizadeh Zenoorin earned two points each for two hits to the truck early in the second, with the Iranian leading heading into the final round.
Jones said she had put too much pressure on herself after being one of the favourites from Team GB to earn another gold medal
Iranian Alizadeh Zenoorin had led heading into the final round and clinched a superb victory
The tension was palpable inside the Makuhari Messe Hall, and Alizadeh Zenoorin moved further into the ascendency after landing another blow to Jones’ trunk.
Her contact saw her move 14-10 ahead with just seconds left, and an appeal from Jones’ camp for a video referral failed to lead to an overturn.
That left Jones reeling from an early elimination, and brought a very premature end to her hopes of landing yet another medal.
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