Jade Johnson facts for kids
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
Representing  Great Britain |
||
| Women's athletics | ||
| European Championships | ||
| Silver | 2002 Munich | Long jump |
Representing  England |
||
| Commonwealth Games | ||
| Silver | 2002 Manchester | Long jump |
Jade Linsey Johnson is a retired English track and field athlete. She was born in London on June 7, 1980. Jade was a specialist in the long jump event. She proudly represented Great Britain in the Summer Olympics. This happened in both 2004 and 2008. She also won a silver medal at the 2002 Commonwealth Games. She placed fourth at the 2003 World Championships in Athletics. Interestingly, Jade is allergic to sand! Her parents are from Liverpool, UK, and Kingston, Jamaica.
Contents
Early Successes
Jade had a great start to her career. She won a silver medal at the 2002 Commonwealth Games. Soon after, she earned another silver medal. This was at the 2002 European Championships. In 2003, she competed at the World Championships. She finished in an impressive fourth place there.
Personal Best and Challenges
Jade achieved her personal best jump in 2008. She jumped 6.81 metres. This distance was good enough to qualify for the Olympics. She set this record during the European Cup. There, she finished in second place.
Around November 2007, Jade faced a challenge. She had just recovered from a serious injury. At that time, her funding was removed. This made it harder to train for the Olympics. However, she kept working hard. She even set new personal bests in other events. These included the 100 metres and 200 metres sprints. She also said she was enjoying the sport more.
Olympic Performance
Jade competed in the long jump at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. She jumped 6.64 metres in the final. This placed her seventh overall. She was not happy with her own performance. She also felt frustrated that the winner, Maurren Higa Maggi, had faced issues with sports rules in the past.
Later Career and Injuries
Jade was chosen to compete in the 2009 European Indoor Championships. However, she had to pull out. This was due to an injury.
In August 2009, Jade tried something new. She joined the TV show Strictly Come Dancing. She danced with professional dancer Ian Waite. Sadly, she got another serious injury. This happened to her right knee during a rehearsal. Because of this, she had to leave the show in November. She said she was "devastated" but had to be "realistic". She thanked Ian Waite for his support. Jade later returned for the show's final. She performed the Tango she had planned to do earlier.
See also
In Spanish: Jade Johnson para niños
