Jade
Jones-Hall H Agility chats with the new Commonwealth champ AVING represented Britain on the athletics track at the 2012 and 2016 Paralympic Games, Jade Jones-Hall was inspired by triathlon’s debut in Rio – and decided it was the perfect time for a new challenge.
Her international paratriathlon debut followed less than a year later before the 22-year-old really announced herself on the big stage in April. Jones-Hall’s stunning victory at the Gold Coast – across the 750m swim, 20km hand-bike ride and 5km wheelchair race – showcased the Middlesbrough-born athlete’s rapid progress. And it helped achieve a double celebration for Team England in the PTWC category as Joe Townsend took gold in the men’s event.
Jones-Hall wasn’t finished in Australia, however, and added a bronze medal in the T54 marathon on the final day of the Games before carrying the English flag at the closing ceremony that evening. Understandably, the whole experience surpassed her pre-Games expectations. “I desperately wanted a medal of some sort,” she told Agility. “Going into the triathlon, I knew I was capable of that because my training had gone well and I’d improved a lot over the winter. “I thought I’d try triathlon following the Rio Paralympics, and started from scratch, learning how to swim and bike. So I’m still making improvements all the time and there’s a lot we can work on. “Heading into the Gold Coast, I knew I’d improved on the swim and bike section, so I definitely wanted to come back with a medal but didn’t think it would be gold, that’s for sure!”
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