Beth remembers her early years as a gymnast

Beth’s gymnastics career is often defined by her incredible success as Britain’s first female gymnast to win a medal at the European Championships, World Championships, and Olympic Games – but what about the journey that led to this success?

We wanted to truly understand what inspired the young girl from Bunbury to not only dominate the world of gymnastics, but continue her love beyond that as the Director of Total Gymnastics, an ambassador of the Hardship Grants Programme, a board member of Switch the Play, and a participant of the International Leadership Programme. To do this, we sat with her to ask a few questions about her memories of gymnastics growing up.

How old were you when you discovered your love for gymnastics?
I was 7 years old when I first started gymnastics. I had tried many other sports first including swimming, ballet, horse riding and hockey.

What’s your first memory of gymnastics?
I just remember hanging out with my friends and just wanting to be in the gym all the time. I loved being able to do all the cartwheels and forwards with my coaches.

Who was your biggest influence growing up?
My parents had a huge influence on me growing up, as did my gymnastics coach, Amanda. They were always there to support me.

How important has the support from other people been throughout your gymnastics journey?
It has been vital. I spent a lot of time away from home and having that support behind me was key. They were always there for me if I needed a boost after a bad competition or bringing down if I was getting a bit giddy.

How do you feel gymnastics has benefitted you throughout your life?
I now realise that the years of training taught me so more than just the sport of gymnastics. It taught me discipline, resilience, time management, so many skills that help me every day.

Is there a certain image from your childhood that brings back a vivid memory of gymnastics?
I have lots of photos of myself doing gymnastics in the garden and posing with my medals after competitions, I couldn't choose just one. I have so many fond memories of doing gymnastics when I was young and the one thing that never changed throughout my career was my love for the sport. 

Founded by Beth Tweddle, Beth Tweddle Gymnastics (formerly Total Gymnastics) encourages children to keep active and broaden their skillset. We believe all children deserve the opportunity to go beyond their own expectations and improve their confidence so we run classes in venues across the UK that your child can get involved in!