Jones announces retirement from Great Britain

Olympic medallist Sarah Jones has announced her decision to retire her GB shirt after six years which have seen her compete at the highest level of the sport.

Having realised her long-term goal to be the first Welsh outfield athlete to represent Great Britain since 2012, Jones made her debut for Great Britain at the 2018 Hockey Champions Trophy and went on to earn 73 caps - including representing Team GB at two Olympic Games.

After having achieved her first cap, 2019 saw Jones play 15 matches in the Pro League tournament, which was subsequently followed up by her selection for the 2020-21 Pro League. Following on from her impressive performances in Pro League, in 2020 Jones was selected for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games: her Olympic debut. She competed in every match throughout the Games and was a key player as the team earned an emotional bronze medal.

After the successes of the Tokyo Games, Jones continued to be a mainstay in the GB programme and, following a period in which Jones had to recover from multiple challenging injuries, she returned to Pro League action in 2022-23 and 2023-24 where she played in front of the home crowd in London.

Jones went on to be selected for the 2024 Olympic Qualifiers. She was awarded Player of the Match for her performance in the final Olympic Qualification match, delivering in an extremely high-pressure, high-stakes environment and scoring a goal, therefore securing Great Britain’s place at the Paris Olympics 2024.

This summer saw Jones qualify and compete at her second Olympic Games in Paris where she played an integral role in securing Great Britian’s place in the quarter finals, including scoring a pivotal goal in the GB/USA game.

Whilst she is set to retire from Great Britain, Jones remains committed to playing for her home nation Wales, having already earned 115 caps and competed in three Commonwealth Games; 2014 in Glasgow, 2018 in Gold Coast and 2022 in Birmingham, and six EuroChampionships.

On her retirement from Great Britain, Jones said: “I am beyond honoured to have had the privilege to represent Great Britain over the past six years and am so very grateful to everyone who has been a part of my journey. It’s created some of the best memories and biggest challenges I’ve ever faced, and I am proud of all that we have achieved as a team. Words will never fully be able to encapsulate it, but, for now, I just want to say thank you.”

Great Britain’s Women’s Head Coach David Ralph said: “Sarah has made a valuable contribution to Great Britain hockey over the last two Olympic cycles, which included Sarah winning a bronze medal as part of the GB team at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

“Sarah’s journey to becoming an integral part of two GB Olympic teams should be an inspiration to all of us as it wasn’t until 2018 that Sarah won her first GB cap at the age of 28. Sarah’s dedication and hard work won her that opportunity and allowed her to grasp that opportunity and progress to becoming a hugely influential player for us on and off the pitch.

“Her performances in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics were outstanding and massively contributed to our successful journey in that tournament. As an outstanding trainer, Sarah was also a valuable contributor to us in a training context, her drive and determination was evident every day and we will miss her character too.

“It was a real pleasure to coach Sarah over the last six years, a great person, an exemplary trainer and an outstanding hockey player. It was a real highlight, and honour, of my coaching career to be able to select Sarah for her first GB cap, and to see her grasp that opportunity and go on to have the great career that she did. We wish Sarah every success in the next chapter of her journey, and I will personally miss her energy and character every day.”