Olympian and Howell’s School alumna Sarah Jones’ journey to Paris 2024

Welsh hockey player Sarah Jones is an alumna of Howell’s School, Llandaff in Cardiff, and is a mainstay of the GB hockey team.  After receiving her medal in 2021, Sarah Jones returned to Howell’s to chat to students from Reception to Year 13, and to show off her hard-won Olympic medal.

When Sarah joined Howell’s School she was football-mad, and had never seen hockey being played, but began to play hockey and lacrosse, recognising the similarities with football. Sarah represented Howell’s in the GDST tournaments and joined a hockey tour to the Netherlands, where the power and style of the Dutch players gave her a taste of the game played at the highest level. Having represented Wales for the under 16 and under 18 squads, Sarah went to Loughborough University, where she studied Geography and Sports Management and continued to play hockey, starting by playing for the 3rd team and moving through to the 1st.

sarah jones hockey

 

As a student at Loughborough University, she began to consider the possibility of a career as a professional sportswoman, continued to play for Wales and set her sights on being selected for the Team GB development squad, the stepping stone to selection for the Olympic squad.

“I looked at the people around me and I was like, ‘They’re better than me. But I can see how I can get there.’

She explains: “I looked at the people around me and I was like, ‘They’re better than me. But I can see how I can get there.’ I saw people around me getting opportunities to play for England, and to do GB development training. That felt like the next thing I needed to do. I never really admitted it to anyone. I definitely didn’t say it out loud.”

sarah jones hockey

After graduation, Sarah moved to London and began working for British Tennis, continuing to play hockey. The GB development squad came calling, and in May 2021 she heard the news: she had made it through the selection process and was officially a member of the Team GB squad heading to Tokyo for the Olympic Games. It was a complete joy seeing the students at Howell’s when Sarah arrived in her Team GB kit. For many of them it’s the first time they have ever had the chance to meet an Olympian in real life, and for the younger girls in particular it’s almost instinctive for them to reach out and touch the large bronze medal around her neck.

”I love the look on a child’s face when they look at the medal and when they hold it”

What is the general public’s standard reaction when faced with an Olympic medal? Sarah laughs, and reminds us what we said when she passed the medal to us earlier in the morning. “I don’t think it’s possible to hold the Olympic medal without saying ‘It’s really heavy!’ I love the look on a child’s face when they look at the medal and when they hold it, when they put it around their neck, when they have a photo. And it’s not just children; I went to my sister’s baby shower the other day even people who aren’t really interested in sport want to hold it and feel the gravitas. It’s my medal, but I won it for Great Britain. It’s nice to share it with people.”

 

Sarah Jones

Welsh hockey player Sarah Jones is an alumna of Howell’s School, Llandaff in Cardiff, and is a mainstay of the GB hockey team. Sarah made her international debut for Wales back in 2005, and was called into the GB cycle following the Rio 2016 Olympics. At the Tokyo 2020 Olympics she earned numerous plaudits for the skill and determination shown in each game as she helped the team win an emotional bronze medal.

Sarah and the GB women’s hockey team will play their first pool game of the 2024 Olympics against Spain on Sunday 28th July before tackling South Africa, Australia, the US and Argentina. We wish Sarah and Team GB the best of luck in the Paris 2024 Olympics.

Read our full interview with Sarah from 2022

 

The GDST Alumnae Network

As a GDST alumna, Sarah is part of the GDST Alumnae Network – the largest organisation of its kind in the country. There are over 100,000 GDST alumnae from across our family of 25 all-girls schools and the network is increasing every year.

Find out more about the GDST Alumnae Network