A SPORTING star was given a hero’s welcome on her homecoming after winning a gold medal in the Youth Olympics.

Friends and family of Jade Jones gathered at Flint Sports and Social Club on Sunday to welcome home the martial arts sensation in style.

Proud mum Jane said: “She just thought that we were going to go for a few drinks so she was a bit taken aback to see so many people there. She’s still made up after winning. We are all on top of the world.”

The 17-year-old, from Mumforth Walk in Flint, won the first Gold medal for Great Britain after beating Vietnam’s Than Thao Nguyen 9-6 in the taekwondo 55kg category of the inaugural games in Singapore.

She has now got her sights firmly set on the London 2012 Olympics.