Athletics ace Ayesha Jones once picked up a javelin out of curiosity at school and is now a Commonwealth Youth Games record holder.

A talented young athlete, Jones has been breaking records for as long as she can remember, having smashed her school's best the second she picked up the sport.

The teenager’s path to Trinbago 2023 was rather unique, originally recommended to go to an athletics club by her PE teacher who spotted her talent before eventually discovering her passion for javelin.

Now, with the Commonwealth title and a Championship best in the bag, Jones has evidently set herself up for a record-breaking career.

“One afternoon at school I had a free hour, so I decided to go and throw a javelin and I broke the school record, so that went pretty well for me," she said.

“Throughout the multi-stage events before that, I always knew I was good at throwing, so I did shot put and hammer, but then with the javelin, it felt quite good straight away which was nice.


“I was doing sprinting too but, after Covid, I dropped it and focused on javelin because that felt truer to myself to be honest.

“I liked all the technical stuff; it is really interesting, and I really like looking into it in a different way.”

Jones threw a personal best of 52.49m to break Australian Annabel Thomson's previous record by 0.5m in Trinbago.

And with fellow Team England athlete Harriet Wheeler sealing silver, it was a moment to cherish for the javelin thrower.

"Throwing in another country is always special and representing England is even better," she added.

"Getting that record and a PB just really tops the whole experience for me."

Jones has previously stated how Greg Rutherford, another field athlete from Milton Keynes, has inspired her rise to stardom.

But revealed that her mum is the real hero, watching on from the stands of the Hasely Crawford Stadium in Trinidad as her daughter wrote her name into the Commonwealth Games record books.


Jones said: “Greg Rutherford is also from Milton Keynes and there are a lot of pictures of him and his medals so that is quite inspiring to see.

“But my mum drives me around to every competition so I would have to thank her a lot for that.

“I am really grateful for her help, not only does she drive me, but she also pays for a lot of stuff, my equipment can be quite expensive, so I am really, really thankful to her.

“She flew out to join me, which was really nice.

"It was really special having her there, especially as all the hard work paid off.”