Health Feature
STYLEetc Magazine caught up with our Olympic hopeful to talk inspiration, education, business and splits! On a cold January morning, we attended an assembly lead by Beth Tweddle to inspire young children to get involved in gymnastics in the run up to the Olympics. Birkenhead High School Academy was the place and is the host venue for a brand new Total Gymnastics Beth Tweddle Academy.
STYLEetc Magazine wanted to
For many entrepreneurs, failure
is part of the journey, and indeed, women can become more entrepreneurial the older they become. So we asked Beth how she felt being almost geriatric in gymnastics terms, and what had spurred her on to continue and compete at the Olympics 2012?
There’s no doubt that gymnastics is a young person’s sport and at 27 she is a good decade older than many of those against whom she will be competing this year.
“I always thought I’d retire in 2006,” but I didn’t do as well as I wanted to at the Commonwealths that year, I got injured. So that spurred me on to stay for Beijing.”
Beth indeed seems driven by her burning disappointment at the last two Olympics. In 2004 she missed the bars final by a fraction of a point, while she was even closer to winning a medal in Beijing, finishing 0.025 points behind the third- placed gymnast.
“After Beijing I really thought that was it. Coming fourth was the hardest. Normally if I don’t do as well as I want, I balance out pretty quick.
“But Beijing was hard to get your head round. First back, everything was about how well Team GB had done, medallists in business class, and I wasn’t part of that. So I went to a travel agent and
wondering if that was it. But she said to me after about three days it was obvious I wanted to be back in the gym training, working to put it right. Which is what I’ve done. Disappointment makes you stronger.”
Like many British athletes, what really kept her going was the thought of the Olympics 2012.
“Had it not been in London people ask would I have stepped aside. Well, I still enjoy the training, I still have a good relationship with my coach, I still want to win. But obviously it was a massive spur to me.”
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The school assembly STYLEetc Magazine had attended ended with some simpler questions from the children including, “Can you do the splits?” and “Can you show us a handstand?” To which Beth obliged.
Beth is one of four faces of the London Olympics and is therefore not only a flawless ambassador for gymnastics but also for sport as a whole.
The STYLEetc team wish Beth the best of luck with her exciting year ahead!
If you are interested in getting your child on the path to becoming an Olympian like Beth then visit
www.totalgymnastics.
co.uk/academies
Beth, meeting little gymnastic hopefuls
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