Beth Tweddle MBE Director

Beth is Britain's most successful gymnasts with an Olympic Bronze Medal, three World titles, five European titles and seven British titles under her belt to name very few. Beth was born on 1st April 1985 in Johannesburg and moved to England when she was 18 months old. Beth started gymnastics at the age of 7 in a bid to use up some of the excessive energy she had as a child in her local gymnastics club, where her talent was recognised resulting in her moving gymnastics clubs to The City of Liverpool Gymnastics Club under the guidance of Amanda Reddin (nee Kirby) in 1997.

Beth's name first started getting heard internationally in 2001 when she competed in her first World Championships, and was noted for her excellent work on the asymmetric bars. A year later Beth achieved Britain's first ever medal at a European Championships, bronze on bars. A year later she repeated her bronze medal but this time at the World Championships - another first for GB. 2004 saw Beth achieve a life-time goal of competing at the Olympics. Unlucky enough to compete in the first subdivision, Beth fell short of qualifying for the bars final and left Athens more determined than ever. Despite injuries hampering her preparation, Beth competed at the 2005 World Championships and placed 4th AA, smashing GB's record of 13th place, and was again in receipt of a bronze medal for bars.

In early 2006 an ankle injury meant Beth had to watch the Commonwealth Games from the stands - a title she was clear favourite for. But, as is Beth's style, injuries and set-backs only make her fight harder. Later on that year she performed a brand new routine on the bars at the European Championships, and this time she was unbeatable - Beth was crowned European Championships. Her next big challenge would come in October, at the World Championships. During bars final Beth performed her daring and dynamic routine with aggression and determination, and topped it off with a stuck-cold landing. Her reward - the title of 2006 World Champion!

Beth won her seventh consecutive British National Championship title in July 2007 where she was awarded silver for her floor routine. At the World Championships later that year, Beth competed with the British team helping them to qualify a full team to the 2008 Olympics.

In 2008, at the European Championships, Beth won a silver medal on the floor exercise and placed fourth on bars. At the British National Championships which followed, Beth unfortunately only competed in the uneven bars due to an ankle injury.

Beth was selected for the British team for the 2008 Olympics, where she competed in the uneven bars and floor and qualified for the bars event final. In the final, she competed with the most difficult bars routine of the Games and placed 4th with a score of 16.625.

2009 was a marvelous year for Beth. At the European Championships she won gold medals on both floor exercise and bars and also became Champion for both events at the World Student Games.

After failing to qualify to the uneven Bars final at the 2009 World Championships, Beth really showed her strength of character and won the Floor competition with an amazing routine that had the highest difficulty rating of all the other gymnasts.

To end 2009 in style, Beth was nominated for the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Awards alongside other big sports stars such as footballer Ryan Giggs (who won the award) and England cricketer Andrew Strauss.

What Beth describes as her “biggest achievement outside of gymnastics” followed next, when Beth was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2010 New Years Honors’.

In October 2010, Beth broke into the record books once again as she became World Bars Champion in Rotterdam with a score of 15.733.

Beth, who is seven-time British Champion and has broken each and every record in the history of British Women’s gymnastics, capped off her astounding career this summer with a bronze medal in the asymmetric bars at the London 2012 Olympic Games. 

As Britain's most sucessful gymnast Beth has now set up her business Total Gymnastics, driven by the passion to inspire and educate people of all ages and abilities about gymnastics.

BETH'S ACHIEVEMENTS

2012 Olympic Bronze Medallist

2010 World Bars Champion, Rotterdam

2010 MBE

2009 European Champion on Floor and A. Bars, Milan (ITA)

2009 World Student Games Champion on Floor and A. Bars, Belgrade (SER)

2009 World Champion on Floor, London (GBR)

7 Time British Champion

2008 Olympics - 4th bars

2008 European Floor Silver

2008 Worlds - 4th bars

2007 European Floor Silver

2006 World Cup Final Bars Champion

2006 World Bars Champion

2006 European Bars Champion

2005 World Bars Bronze Medalist

2005 Worlds - 4th AA, 5th FX

2005 American Cup FX Bronze Medalist

Member of 2004 GB Olympic Team

2004 European AB Silver Medalist

2003 World Bars Bronze Medalist

2003 American Cup Bars Bronze Medalist

2002 Worlds Bars Event Finalist

2002 Commonwealth Games AB Champion

2002 Commonwealth Games Team, AA Silver Medalist

2002 European Bars Bronze Medalist

Member of 2001 Worlds Team

2000 Junior European Event Finalist