Retour
The former hockey player went to the Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024 Olympics with Team GB, as part of a stellar career that boasted over 200 international caps.
The Cardiff native has now swapped her stick for swords as part of her new role as Head of Talent at British Fencing, where the 36-year-old is tasked with finding the next generation of fencers.
Jones was in attendance as her home city hosted the European Para Fencing Championships at the Sport Wales National Centre, with home hero Dimitri Coutya the standout performer with gold in all three disciplines.
And after the chance to watch the continent’s elite on home soil, Jones hopes it will help her find some new fencing stars when she hosts a talent ID day in Bath on 14 November.
“It is about casting the net and trying to find the next generation of Paralympians,” she said.
“We are targeting those that have that desire to want to be the next Paralympian, those that have fast reflexes and physicality or those with an inquisitive mind, they might be interested in chess.
“We are trying to get the next generation of medallists, so it’s really exciting to have an event like this in readiness for that.”
Jones believes it is an exciting time to pick up a sword in the UK, with ParalympicsGB enjoying success at the Paris 2024 Paralympics.
British fencers earned six medals in Paris, finishing third in the sport medal table behind China and Thailand, with Coutya winning gold in foil and épée.
Jones’ task is to continue the conveyor belt of success by finding athletes ready to challenge at the Brisbane 2032 Paralympics and beyond.
The European Championships in Cardiff offered a good taste of top-level competition for some of the talent already at her disposal, with 17-year-old James Middlehurst amongst those making their senior European debuts.
And Jones hopes to be able to provide more of those platforms moving forward, as focus moves beyond LA 2028.
She added: “It is great to have the biggest team that we have ever fielded, there is something special about coming to a major event.
“For those that haven’t experienced it before, the fact that it is in their home country is such a privilege. Your friends and family get to come down and watch.
“We have our world-leading athletes performing here, but to also have those athletes that could be there for LA or certainly 2032. It is about how do we prepare them and use competitions like the Europeans to perform in the 2032 cycle?”
Hosting the event in Cardiff was the perfect meeting of worlds for Jones, who hopes it might have helped find new Welsh talent.
“It is my hometown, so it is great to have it in Cardiff. It is a great venue. Hopefully we can find the next generation here,” she said.
“It is two worlds colliding, the Welsh sport world and the British fencing world.
“For me, you look at events like this and think ‘Could the next Paralympian come from Wales? What can we do to enable that?’ It is really exciting.”