A NORTH Wales martial arts expert has struck gold.
Denbighshire-born Jade Jones, who trains with Ruthin-based Matrix Taekwondo, has claimed a gold medal at the Youth Olympic Games in Singapore.
The talented taekwondo fighter became Great Britain’s first gold medallist at the Youth Olympic Games.
On the way to the final Jade won against competitors from the Ivory Coast, Mexico and Sweden.
In the under 55kg female final Jade came up against Thanh Thao Nguyen of Vietnam.
It was a close game and after three two-minute rounds the score was level at 6-6.
The contest went to a ‘golden point’ round where the first person to score wins the match.
It only took Jade six seconds to get the points she needed to win GB’s first medal of these Games, securing a fantastic 9-6 victory.
Jade, who was born in St Asaph, is now one of the favourites to represent Great Britain at the 2012 Olympics in London.
Earlier in her campaign Jade, a multiple junior champion, began her campaign with a hard-fought 7-3 win over the Ivory Coast’s Ruth Gbagbi.
She followed that up with a 7-4 victory over Monica Chavez of Mexico.
Then, a 4-0 victory over Sweden’s Jennifer Agren secured Jade’s place in the final.
In front of her watching grandparents, who inspired her to take up the sport, Jade saved her best until last to defeat Nguyen and get Great Britain off the mark in the Far East.
The 17-year-old started taekwondo when she was just seven years of age and switched style four years ago to the Olympic style.
This change came about when she joined Matrix Taekwondo, which is the only WTF Olympic style taekwondo club in North Wales.
The club has enjoyed some more good news with 19-year-old Danielle Baker being selected for the Great Britain team going to the European U-21 Championships in the Ukraine in September.
In addition, two weeks before the Youth Olympics up-and-coming fighters from the club James Perry and Sab Miah won gold and silver at the Scorpion Open, which was held at the English Institute of Sport (EIS) in Sheffield.
For prospective taekwondo enthusiasts, Matrix Taekwondo now has beginners’ classes in the St John’s Ambulance Hall in Prior Street, Ruthin, catering for all ages from five years old upwards.
For more information go to www.matrix-taekwondo.co.uk or call David Baker on 07944 987275.