Double Olympic gold medallist Jade Jones will compete in her fourth Olympic Games for Team GB this summer, after being named by the British Olympic Association (BOA) as part of the taekwondo team of four that will travel to Paris.
The 31-year-old is now set to equal Sarah Stevenson’s record of competing at four Olympic Games for Team GB in taekwondo, as she pursues an unprecedented third Olympic gold medal in Paris. Jones’ Olympic journey began at London 2012, becoming Team GB’s first-ever Olympic taekwondo Champion, aged just 19, before retaining her title four years later at Rio 2016.
Jade Jones OBE said: “This will be my fourth Olympic Games, fifth including the Youth Olympics. This one feels extra special, almost like the very first again when I was 19! People don’t understand how hard it is to even quality for an Olympics, so I am super proud and can’t wait to fight my heart out for GB and myself once again.”
Also returning to Team GB is double World Champion Bradly Sinden, whose silver medal at Tokyo 2020 made him only the second British male to claim one since the sport was introduced to the Games in 2000. The 25-year-old from Doncaster became Britain’s first-ever male World Champion in 2019 and captured another world title last year.
European Champions Rebecca McGowan and Caden Cunningham complete the squad, with both heavyweights set to compete at the Games for the first time.
McGowan, 24, from Dumbarton, initially began taekwondo aged six as a way to battle her best friend and is also a two-time World Championship medallist, winning a bronze medal in 2022, and silver in 2023.
Cunningham, 21, from Huddersfield, who is also a part-time fashion model, became European Champion for the first-time last month, and won a gold medal at the World Taekwondo Grand Prix in June last year.
Team GB Chef de Mission Mark England OBE said: “Team GB has continued making huge strides forward in the sport of taekwondo since it first was introduced at the Games in 2000. It brings us immense pleasure to have this talented team travelling to Paris this summer. We welcome back Jade and Bradly, as they each seek to write their own new and exciting chapters in Team GB’s Olympic history.
“We also would like to welcome Rebecca and Caden into the team for their first Games, with every confidence they will both flourish in Paris. I know this was an incredibly competitive selection process, but we are excited to support this formidable collection of athletes as they strive to make more history in Paris.”
The taekwondo events will take place at the Grand Palais in Paris over three days from 7 August to 10 August.
Eight different medal events will be contested across four different weight categories, with each category having a separate competition for male and female athletes.
Team GB taekwondo athletes in full:
Caden Cunningham +80kg
Jade Jones -57kg
Rebecca McGowan +67kg
Bradly Sinden -68kg
With thanks to Team GB
