Tokyo 2020 Olympics: Two-time champion Jade Jones suffers shock loss in taekwondo first round
Taekwondo fighter Jade Jones was beaten in her first bout by Refugee Team athlete Kimia Alizadeh and will not take part in repechage after her conqueror loses out in semi-final; Jones was aiming to become first British woman to win gold at three consecutive Games
Last Updated: 26/07/21 9:11am
Jade Jones' bid to become the first British woman to win gold medals at three consecutive Olympics came to a disappointing end at the Makuhari Hall in Tokyo.
Jones was beaten in her first bout by Refugee Team athlete Kimia Alizadeh, who went on to reach the semi-final stage of the women's -58kg competition.
The 28-year-old, who had ended a long wait for her first world title in 2019, held a two-point lead after the opening round but could not sustain her advantage and eventually fell to a 16-12 defeat.
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For an opening bout it was as tough as they come against Alizadeh, who became the first Iranian woman to win an Olympic medal when she took bronze in Rio behind Jones.
Alizadeh, also a two-time world medallist who beat Jones in the 2015 event in Russia, subsequently left her homeland to train in Germany, a decision which led to a period of inactivity that meant she was not seeded in the women's -57kg category.
Coincidentally, Alizadeh had beaten Iran's Nahid Kiyani in the opening round of the contest, for which top seed Jones had received a bye.
Two three-point head kicks had given Jones the advantage at the end of the opening round but the taller Alizadeh used her extra height to her advantage, scoring twice to the body to turn the contest in her favour at the end of the second.
Jones hauled level in the final round but a strong trunk kick from Alizadeh sent her four points clear with 20 seconds remaining, and when a subsequent appeal from Jones was denied by the jury, her fate was effectively sealed.
Jones was left hoping that Alizadeh could reach the final and give her a chance to compete in the repechage for the bronze medal.
However, the Iranian lost out to ROC's Tatiana Minina at the semi-final stage, meaning the Brit will head home empty-handed.
