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New Year Honours: Jade Jones and Loren Dykes recognised

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Jade JonesImage source, Getty Images
Image caption,

Jade Jones has won gold at six different taekwondo Grand Prix events, and also won five silvers

Taekwondo world and double Olympic champion Jade Jones and football centurion Loren Dykes are among Wales' New Year Honours sporting recipients.

Jones finally won an elusive first world title in May 2019, having won silver and bronze in previous years, and her MBE will be upgraded to an OBE.

Dykes, 31, became only the second Wales women's player to reach 100 caps in a May friendly against Czech Republic.

The full-back will be made an MBE for services to women's football in Wales.

The Morriston-born Bristol City defender also coaches Wales under-15s.

After her World Championship taekwondo success in Manchester, 26-year-old Jones described her victory as a dream come true adding, "I'm buzzing because I know I can retire happy now.

"The worlds is one of the most prestigious events in our sport and I'm so happy to be able to say I'm world champion."

Jones will now aim for a third Olympic title in Tokyo in 2020 to follow her success at London 2012 and Rio four years later.

Media caption,

World Taekwondo Championships: Watch Jade Jones win her first world title

Former Wales weightlifter Dave Morgan, the only sportsperson to have won a medal at six different Commonwealth Games and overall gold at five, is to be made an MBE for his services to the sport.

The 55-year-old won 12 Commonwealth medals between 1982 and 2002 with nine gold and three silvers. Morgan also appeared in three Olympics in 1984, 1988 and 1992.

Wales rugby league president Mike Nicholas will become an MBE for his services to the sport in Wales.

After playing rugby union with Aberavon, Nicholas switched codes to Warrington and went on to play for Wales before spending a decade as team manager.

Table Tennis Wales president George Evans will receive a British Empire Medal (BEM) for his services to table tennis in Wales.

Former Glamorgan bowler Mark Frost, now community projects manager at the county and development manager at Cricket Wales, has also been recognised with a BEM for services to cricket.