Beth Tweddle facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Elizabeth Tweddle MBE
Tweddle in March 2012
Personal information
Full name	Elizabeth Kimberly Tweddle
Country represented	Great Britain  England
Born	(1985-04-01) 1 April 1985 (age 40) Johannesburg, South Africa
Height	160 cm (5 ft 3 in)
Discipline	Women's artistic gymnastics
Years on national team	1994–2013 (GBR)
Club	City of Liverpool
Head coach(es)	Amanda Reddin
Assistant coach(es)	Zoltan Jordanov
Choreographer	Corina Morosan, Adriana Pop
Eponymous skills	Tweddle: sole circle backward with counter straddle hecht with 1/2 turn on high bar in mixed L-grip
Retired	6 August 2013
Medal record Event 1st 2nd 3rd Olympic Games 0 0 1 World Championships 3 0 2 European Championships 6 4 1 World Cup Final 1 2 0 Summer Universiade 3 0 2 Commonwealth Games 1 2 0 Total 14 8 6 Representing  Great Britain Olympic Games Bronze 2012 London Uneven Bars World Championships Gold 2006 Aarhus Uneven Bars Gold 2009 London Floor Exercise Gold 2010 Rotterdam Uneven Bars Bronze 2003 Anaheim Uneven Bars Bronze 2005 Melbourne Uneven Bars World Cup Final Gold 2006 São Paulo Uneven Bars Silver 2004 Birmingham Uneven Bars Silver 2006 São Paulo Floor Exercise European Championships Gold 2006 Volos Uneven Bars Gold 2009 Milan Uneven Bars Gold 2009 Milan Floor Exercise Gold 2010 Birmingham Uneven Bars Gold 2010 Birmingham Floor Exercise Gold 2011 Berlin Uneven Bars Silver 2004 Amsterdam Uneven Bars Silver 2007 Amsterdam Floor Exercise Silver 2008 Clermont Floor Exercise Silver 2010 Birmingham Team Bronze 2002 Patras Uneven Bars Summer Universiade Gold 2005 İzmir Uneven Bars Gold 2009 Belgrade Uneven Bars Gold 2009 Belgrade Floor Exercise Bronze 2005 İzmir All-Around Bronze 2005 İzmir Balance Beam Representing  England Commonwealth Games Gold 2002 Manchester Uneven Bars Silver 2002 Manchester Team Silver 2002 Manchester All-Around

Elizabeth Kimberly Tweddle (born 1 April 1985) is a retired English artistic gymnast who is famous for her amazing skills on the uneven bars and floor. She made history as the first female gymnast from Great Britain to win a medal at the European Championships, World Championships, and the Olympic Games.

Tweddle is seen as a hero who helped make British gymnastics popular and successful again. Before her, Great Britain's team wasn't a top contender. But with her amazing performances, she helped turn the team into one that could compete with the best in the world.

She competed for Great Britain in three different Olympic Games. Her biggest wins include a bronze medal at the 2012 London Olympics for the uneven bars, and three gold medals at the World Championships. She retired from gymnastics in 2013 but has stayed involved in sports and television.

Early Life and Training

Elizabeth "Beth" Tweddle was born in Johannesburg, South Africa, but her family moved to England when she was just 18 months old. She started gymnastics when she was seven years old. In 1997, she began training at the City of Liverpool Gymnastics Club with her coach, Amanda Reddin.

While training, Tweddle also focused on her education. She earned a degree in sports science from Liverpool John Moores University in 2007. She later planned to study physiotherapy at the University of Liverpool.

Tweddle also co-founded a program called Total Gymnastics. This program helps give more children the chance to try gymnastics in schools and community centers.

Gymnastics Career

Tweddle had a long and successful career, competing at the highest level for over a decade. She was known for her difficult and original routines, especially on the uneven bars and floor exercise.

Making History for Great Britain

In 2002, at the European Championships, Tweddle won a bronze medal on the uneven bars. This was a huge moment because it was the first time a female British gymnast had ever won a medal at this event.

A year later, at the 2003 World Championships, she won another bronze medal on the uneven bars. This proved she was one of the best in the world.

In 2006, she made history again. At the World Championships in Denmark, she won the gold medal on the uneven bars. This was the first-ever World Championship gold for a British gymnast, male or female. She said, "All my hard work has finally paid off and I'm absolutely ecstatic."

Olympic Journey

Tweddle competed in three Olympic Games: Athens 2004, Beijing 2008, and London 2012.

Athens and Beijing

At the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, she finished 19th in the all-around competition. At the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, she came very close to winning a medal. She finished in fourth place in the uneven bars final, just missing the podium. After this, she decided to keep training for the next Olympics.

London 2012

Tweddle (left) with the other medal winners for the uneven bars at the 2012 London Olympics.

The 2012 Summer Olympics were held in her home country, in London. This was her last chance to win an Olympic medal. The home crowd cheered loudly for her.

In the uneven bars final, she performed a great routine and scored 15.916. She won the bronze medal, finishing behind Aliya Mustafina of Russia and He Kexin of China. Tweddle said, "It's the best feeling in the world... This was the one medal missing from my collection; this is the one I really wanted."

Life After Gymnastics

Tweddle officially retired from gymnastics on August 6, 2013, one year after her Olympic success. She said that she knew she could no longer commit to the intense training needed to stay at the top.

Television and Media

After retiring, Tweddle became a popular figure on television. In 2013, she competed in and won the TV show Dancing on Ice. She returned for an "All-Stars" version of the show in 2014 and finished in third place.

In 2016, she took part in a winter sports show called The Jump. During training, she had an accident and seriously injured her back, which required surgery.

She also works as a gymnastics expert for the BBC and Eurosport, providing commentary for major events like the Olympics and World Championships.

Famous Move

Tweddle performing her floor routine at the 2009 World Championships, where she won gold.

In gymnastics, if a gymnast is the first to perform a new, difficult move in a major competition, it can be named after them. Tweddle has one such move named after her on the uneven bars.

The "Tweddle" is a complex skill that involves a full circle around the bar on the hands, followed by a high-flying release and re-catch of the bar with a half twist. It is a very difficult move that shows her creativity and strength.

Images for kids

• 

  Tweddle in 2010 at the Paris World Cup

See also

In Spanish: Beth Tweddle para niños

• List of Olympic female gymnasts for Great Britain