Jade Jones says her ADHD diagnosis helped her understand both the struggles and strengths that shaped her Olympic career - and now she believes it can help fuel her move from taekwondo into boxing. The 33-year-old Welsh star, who won Olympic taekwondo gold at London 2012 and Rio 2016, says the diagnosis gave her a clearer picture of why she was able to “hyper-focus” on sport for so many years. “If I didn’t have ADHD I genuinely don’t think I would have succeeded in everything I’ve done so far,” Jones said. “So it is like a superpower.”
Jones said things became more difficult after lockdowns and later disappointments at the Tokyo and Paris Games, but the diagnosis helped her make sense of it. “I got diagnosed after the Olympics because things went to pot a little,” she said. “There were certain things I couldn’t handle and didn’t understand about myself.” After leaving taekwondo, boxing became what she called “a perfect distraction” as she adjusted to life away from the Olympic routine.
Her first boxing appearance came in March on a Misfits Boxing show in Derby, where she knocked out US reality TV star Egypt Criss in the second round. The punch went viral, and Jones joked that she was being told in the gym not to repost it again. “But to be fair, the video does get better every time I watch it,” she said.
Jones returns on June 13 against Argentine influencer Federikita on another Misfits bill, which also features Tommy Fury and Eddie Hall. She admits the pressure of being an Olympic champion has not disappeared, but she wants to enjoy the new challenge rather than carry the same burden she felt in taekwondo. “I came into this wanting a new challenge and wanting to enjoy it and to see where it goes,” Jones said. “I’ve not set any sights that far.”
Image Credit: Sky Sports