Great Britains Jade Jones defended her Olympic title in the -57kg taekwondo category with a nail-biting victory against Eva Calvo Gomez. The 23-year-old, who was one of the stars of London 2012, produced a stunning performance in the third round to defeat her Spanish opponent.
The Bodelwyddan-born athlete led throughout the gold-medal contest, but showed remarkable maturity under pressure to get the better of Gomez, who enjoys the better record in their head-to-head record.
Jones led 6-0 after the first round following a series of eye-catching combinations. However, her much-hyped opponent came storming back into the contest in the second round and managed to close the scores to 7-6 heading into the final round.
But Jones - who breezed through her earlier three fights in the competition - refused to panic and extended her lead with more stunning combinations to seal her second Olympic triumph and Great Britains 22nd gold medal of Rio 2016 so far.
It feels unbelievable. I didnt realise how much pressure I would feel but to pull this off is amazing, Jones subsequently told the BBC. I am still young so to be double Olympic champion already is crazy. Ive been crying in between sessions because I was so stressed but I did it when it mattered. Im buzzing.
Meanwhile, Jones coach Paul Green paid tribute to her ability to perform under pressure. Shes the most successful British athlete in taekwondo history and there will probably be no-one that will beat her, he said. Shes double Olympic champion - shes done everything.
