Great Britain’s Beth Tweddle: Disappointment makes you stronger, gears up for London 2012 Olympic Games
While it was a record result for the British team in the 2011 World Championships Tokyo, for Great Britain’s star gymnast, Beth Tweddle, things were less than perfect as she placed seventh.
At 26 years of age, Beth Tweddle, lies in the “older” category of gymnasts. She has the honour of earning Great Britain its first ever World Championships title on the uneven bars. This was back in 2006, incidentally the same year Tweddle was considering
retirement in.
Oddly enough, it was not her success in 2006 that spurred her decision to stick with her gymnastics career. Rather, it was her injury sustained at the Commonwealth Games that same year, that urged her to stay.
Tweddle had been appointed as the British team’s captain for the Commonwealth Games. Unfortunately, she hurt her ankle during training, leading to a withdrawal from the event altogether.
The mishap made Tweddle realise that she was not done with gymnastics just yet. She had not been able to show the world everything she wanted to. Retiring just then would have definitely lacked closure.
The 2008 Olympic Games staged in Beijing were another rough ride for Tweddle, where she placed a painful peripheral.
“Coming fourth was the hardest. Normally if I do not do as well as I want, I balance out pretty quick. But Beijing was hard to get your head around,” Tweddle said.
The flight back did all but mock her loss, medallists were in business class and Tweddle was on the outskirts.
“After about three days it was obvious (to my flatmate) I wanted to be back in the gym training to put it right. Disappointment makes you stronger,” Tweddle recalls.
And with her head held high and a strong resolve to boot, Tweddle led her team through the 2011 World Championships at Tokyo.
It was the British gymnastics team’s best ever performance, where it went in as a predictably strong top-five team and also came out as one.
Placing fifth, the Great Britain’s team qualified for the London 2012 Olympic Games.
Tweddle performed on floor exercise. Her routine was exceptionally difficult and definitely jerked up her D-scores impressively. However, with great difficulty came tiny hops.
Tweddle had to face a 0.100 point deduction for stepping ever so slightly out of bounds on her second tumble. Tiny hops on other landings marred her score, eventually placing her seventh on floor exercise with a score of 14.500 points.
The post-event interviews and comments depicted the characteristically Tweddle fighter spirit.
“Today proves I am still up there with the best as I have the difficulty, I have just got to work a lot more on my landings ahead of London,” Tweddle stated.
She was proud of the British women’s team achievement, and looks forward to the London 2012 Olympic Games.
In 2006, the Commonwealths disappointment pushed Tweddle to achieve the first of her three World Championships titles, maybe landing seventh in the worlds will lift her to Olympic heights.
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