British snowboarder who became the first Briton ever to win a Winter Olympic medal on snow, taking slopestyle bronze at the 2014 Sochi Games at age 33.
Jenny Jones was born on 3 July 1980 in Downend, Bristol, and grew up competing in athletics and gymnastics before learning to ski at 17 on a dry slope in Churchill, Somerset, after being offered free lessons. She later switched to snowboarding and built a career as one of Britain's most successful action sports competitors, winning back-to-back Winter X Games slopestyle gold medals in 2009 and 2010. Despite this substantial competitive record, Jones had never represented Great Britain in any sport before the Olympics, having always competed as an individual on the professional tour. When women's slopestyle made its Olympic debut at the 2014 Sochi Games, she finished third behind Jamie Anderson and Enni Rukajärvi to win bronze - Britain's first-ever Winter Olympic medal won on snow, a landmark moment that made headlines across the UK and earned her the Ski Club of Great Britain's Pery Medal. Jones retired from competition in the years that followed and transitioned into broadcasting, presenting a BBC Radio 5 Live series on extreme sports, coaching on Channel 4's 'The Jump', and becoming a regular presenter on BBC's 'Ski Sunday'. She covered both the 2022 Beijing and 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics for the BBC as a snowboarding and skiing reporter, and continues to run her own snowboard workshops for enthusiasts around the world.
Winning Britain's first-ever Winter Olympic medal on snow, bronze in slopestyle at the 2014 Sochi Games
How They Played
Stylish, technically sound slopestyle rider known for smooth rail technique and consistency across jumps
Lasting Impact
Remembered as a pioneering figure for British snow sports, whose historic Olympic medal helped raise the profile of winter sports across the UK
Career Honours
- 2014 Olympic Bronze Medalist, Slopestyle (Britain's first Winter Olympic medal on snow)
- 2x Winter X Games Gold Medalist, Slopestyle (2009, 2010)
- Pery Medal, Ski Club of Great Britain (2014)
- UK's most successful professional snowboarder