Jade's the jewel in Great Britain's golden crown as Jones becomes youngest champ r

Jade Jones became Britain’s youngest Olympic champion at London 2012 as the  19-year-old nicknamed the ‘Head Hunter’ claimed taekwondo gold. How about that for teenage kicks?
Jones threw her helmet in the air in joy and disbelief after winning her -57kg final against China’s No 2 seed Yuzhuo Hou 6-4 to claim Britain’s first gold medal at an Olympic Games in the sport.
The Welsh world silver medallist thrilled the ExCel with a stunning display of aggressive kicking throughout the day, living up to her nickname by delivering a string of brilliant kicks to the head.

On top of the world: Jade Jones kisses her gold medal

The crowd were on their feet during every fight, no doubt determined to outdo boxing punters down the hall in noise and rowdiness. And Jones gave them plenty to shout about as she claimed revenge on Hou, who beat her to gold at last year’s World Championships.
Her attacking style paid dividends in the final, too, meaning Jones became Britain’s most successful taekwondo player at an Olympics and the first youth gold medallist in any sport to win an Olympic medal.

She's done it: Jones celebrates after her win in the final

Welsh wonder: Jones was crowned Olympic champion

Neither fighter gave anything away in a cagey first round. That negative approach cost Hou a penalty point in the next round, giving Jones the confidence she needed to double her lead to 2-0. The final round saw four points each but only after a desperate late attack from the Chinese.
The title was Jones’ and she set off in celebration around the arena, the Union Jack in one hand and the Welsh flag in the other.
But Jones could not be joined on the podium by Liverpool’s Martin Stamper. The 25-year-old lost the bronze play-off in the -68kg category 5-3 to Afghanistan’s Rohullah  Nikpah, who won his country’s second Olympic medal ever. He won the other in Beijing four years ago.

Can I kick it? Great Britain's Jade Jones (right) aims a blow at China's Hou Yuzhuo in the final

But it was Jones who caught the imagination of the crowd. ‘I came here to get the gold,’ said a delighted Jones. ‘I’ve been dreaming about this for ages. I’ve been crying in training, not sleeping but it all feels great now. I watched Sarah Stevenson win bronze in Beijing and that’s when I realised I wanted to do this.
‘The last thing I thought when I walked out for the final was that she had beaten me in the World Championships final and it wasn’t happening again in front of my home crowd.
‘They were amazing. They were bonkers. I’ve seen my dad has a T-shirt with my name on it in gold glitter. It’s a bit embarrassing but it seems to be lucky so it’s OK.’

Golden girl: Jones celebrates glory in the ExCel Arena after beating Hou in the final

Jones’ dad Gary, her mum Jane and granddad Martin were among those cheering her, unable to believe she had made an Olympic final. Despite her obvious potential — Dame Kelly Holmes tipped her for success in these pages just a few months ago — few thought she would make the final here after struggling to bronze at the European Championships in May.
But Jones, whose granddad used to drive her the two-hour round trip four times a week from Flint to train in Manchester, was up for it from the start, dispatching Serbia’s Dragana Gladovic 15-1 in round one and Japan’s Mayu Hamada 13-3 in the quarter-finals before shocking No 1 seed Li-Cheng Tseng of Taipei 10-6 for a place in the final.

Close contest: The final was a tight and cagey fight but the Brit landed the most blows

Not bad for a one-time feisty tom boy from north Wales. ‘Her granddad took her to taekwondo when she was really young,’ said dad Gary. ‘He could see she had a bit of aggression and that was the best way of using it.’
With a world silver medal from last year also under her belt, Jones is set to become a sensation in Wales, even though she lives in Manchester now, where the taekwondo elite programme is based.
It was fitting that her granddad was in the stands rather than in Flint after playing such a big role in Jones’ development. ‘He is the reason why I’m a fighter,’ she said. ‘He is my inspiration behind me competing at the Olympics. He took me all over the country fighting and paid for everything.’
No doubt he feels it is worth every penny.

Jade Jones factfile

1993: Born March 21 in Bodelwyddan, north Wales. Later, at the age of eight, she takes up taekwondo after her grandad takes her to a local club to learn how to defend herself.
2010: Joins the GB Taekwondo academy in Manchester.
Wins gold at the World Youth Olympics in Singapore, where she is coached by Britain's Sarah Stevenson, a bronze medallist at the Beijing Games.

Claims silver from the Junior World Championships in Mexico.
2011: Makes an impact in the senior ranks with gold at the US Open in Texas, and a silver from the German Open in Hamburg.
May: Wins silver in the featherweight under-57kg at the World Championships in Korea, losing in sudden death score to China's Yuzhou Huo.
October: Claims gold at the British Open in Manchester.
2012: After winning a silver medal from the German Open, has to settle for bronze at the European Championships in Manchester.
Selected for the London Olympics squad.
August 9: Wins gold medal at London 2012, beating China's Yuzhuo Hou in the -57kg final.