COMMUNITY support has poured in after a Taekwondo star's Olympic dream came to an end.

Jade Jones’ bid to become the first British woman to win gold medals at three consecutive Olympics came to a disappointing end at the Makuhari Hall in Tokyo.

Jones was beaten in her first bout by Refugee Team athlete Kimia Alizadeh and must now wait to see if she will get a chance to target a bronze medal through the repechage.

Jade Jones OBE, who is Flint born and raised, is going for gold – her third to be precise. This achievement would make her the first British Olympian to win gold at three consecutive Games.

Her first came during her Olympic debut in the London 2012 Games, followed up by fiery performance in Rio de Janeiro’s 2016 spectacle.

Jones, 28, who had ended a long wait for her first world title in 2019, held a two-point lead after the opening round but could not sustain her advantage and eventually fell to a 16-12 defeat.

For an opening bout it was as tough as they come against Alizadeh, who became the first Iranian woman to win an Olympic medal when she took bronze in Rio behind Jones.

Alizadeh, also a two-time world medallist who beat Jones in the 2015 event in Russia, subsequently left her homeland to train in Germany, a decision which led to a period of inactivity that meant she was not seeded in the women’s -57kg category.

Coincidentally, Alizadeh had beaten Iran’s Nahid Kiyani in the opening round of the contest, for which top seed Jones had received a bye.

Two three-point head kicks had given Jones the advantage at the end of the opening round but the taller Alizadeh used her extra height to her advantage, scoring twice to the body to turn the contest in her favour at the end of the second.

Jones’ hopes of getting a chance to compete for a bronze medal ended when Alizadeh lost her semi-final match to Tatiana Minina of Russia.

The community has backed Jones all the way as flags and knitted miniatures of Jade made an appearance.

One venue showing support is the George and Dragon pub, just across the road from the golden post box. The pub stands adorned with a large banner of support for the town’s ‘golden girl’.

Landlady Lynda Leigh previously welcomed Jade to her pub during trip back home in Flint before she jetted off to Tokyo and hosted a celebration party earlier this month for the decorated Olympian.

She said: "Jade Jones, you are and will always be our golden girl, we love you.

"Please all still come out as planned and raise a glass to our Golden Girl let her see the support and love she has here at home as the TV cameras will still be filming.

"She has single handedly put Flint on the world map and give up 10 years of her life in the strictest training regime to get to where she is today.

"We love you Jade."

Visitors at the pub are still celebrating her achievements after she has 'done her town proud'.

Melly Buckley said Jade managed to 'get the entire town buzzing once again'.

She told the Leader: "We are immensely proud of Jade's achievements during her career. We stand with her in every success and we are right there for her now.

"Jade is and will always be our Golden Girl and we thank her very much for never forgetting us here in Flint. Our little town is so proud of Jade."

Nathan Griffiths added: "We are so proud of you jade , you are still a double Olympic champion and our golden girl, you are an inspiration to us all and a role model for our children.

"We love and support you always."

Adam Williams said: "To be an Olympian is something 99.99999% of us could only dream about. To be a triple Olympian is something to be proud of and an amazing feat in itself.

"Hours and hours of dedication, the pain you never see, she can certainly hold her head high. Today just wasn’t her day."

Norma Davies said: "We are all so proud of everything you have achieved Jade. You have shown that hard work and determination can lead to greatness.

"From Flint High School to double Olympic gold medal winner, you are an inspiration to everyone both young and old. Thank you."

Lorraine Francis added: "It wasn’t to be, but she’s still brought two golds Olympic medals, a world championship, and three Europeans championships home. I hope she knows that her achievements and legacy will continue to lift the town for years to come. Jade may not have got her third personal gold, but she’s worth her weight in gold to us."

Robert Martin Williams said: "Gutted for Jade. She was fighting a giant - so difficult and awkward to get her head kicks in. We love you Jade, double gold already - and anyone your own height you would have smashed it."