Jones Misses Jackpot

Jade Jones’ hopes of a £52,000 pay-day were dashed at the World Taekwondo Grand Slam Series in China.

Wales’ double Olympic champ was beaten on golden point by Turkey’s Irem Yaman in the quarter-finals.

Yaman went on to beat Lijun Zhou in the women’s -57kg final in Wuxi to claim the biggest prize in taekwondo.

The 24-year-old is a big fan of the series which is aimed at increasing interest in the sport by rewarding attacking fighters.

“It’s the best of the best and it can only make taekwondo better,” said Jones.

“The new rules are making it more exciting and making more people watch.

“It is more of a show and more fun to watch.

“We are trying to make taekwondo more professional and the Grand Slam is a step in the right direction.

“There are new camera angles and there’s a backstory to every fight. It makes it more interesting for who is going to win.”

Jones’ fellow Welsh fighter Lauren Williams had also bowed out in the quarter-finals of the inaugural event.

Double world champ Bianca Walkden was the only Brit to win their category in the inaugural series which was held over four weekends.