Beth Tweddle

Infobox Gymnast
gymnastname= Beth Tweddle

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fullname=Elizabeth Kimberly Tweddle
nickname=
country=GBR
ENG
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birthdate= birth date and age|1985|04|01
birthplace=Johannesburg, South Africa
hometown=Bunbury, Cheshire
deathdate=
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height= convert|159|cm|ftin
discipline=WAG
level=
natlteam=
club= City of Liverpool
gym=
collegeteam=
headcoach=Amanda Kirby
assistcoach=Zoltan Jordanov
formercoach=
choreographer=Corina Morosan
music=
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retired=
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Elizabeth "Beth" Kimberly Tweddle (born April 1, 1985) is a British gymnast. She is the 2006 World Champion and European Champion on the uneven bars. Tweddle was the first gymnast from Britain ever to win a medal at the World and European Championships, and is considered to be the most successful British gymnast of all time.cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/olympics/gymnastics/6740769.stm|title=Tweddle plans retirement route.|author=Phil Harlow|publisher=BBC Sport Olympics|date=June 12 2007] [http://www.british-gymnastics.org/site/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=136&Itemid=344 Historical timeline of gymnastics successes] BAGA (British Amateur Gymnastics Association)] [http://icliverpool.icnetwork.co.uk/0200sport/0800othersports/tm_headline=gymnastics-beth-tweddle-hoping-2008-can-be-her-best-year-yet&method=full&objectid=20217479&siteid=50061-name_page.html#story_continue "Gymnastics: Beth Tweddle hoping 2008 can be her best year yet"] Alex Bell, "Liverpool Daily Post," December 7 2007] [http://www.intlgymnast.com/Online-Features/News/39.html "Tweddle Treats Dutch with Holiday Display"] Amanda Turner, "International Gymnast," December 23 2006] [http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/21032008/58/olympic-countdown-beth-tweddle.html "Olympic Countdown: Beth Tweddle"] Eurosport, March 21 2008] She is also the seven-time British National Champion, having won the title every consecutive year between 2001 and 2007. [http://www.intlgymnast.com/Online-Features/reports/157.html "Tweddle Takes Lucky Number Seven"] Amanda Turner, "International Gymnast", July 8 2007]

Background

Tweddle was born in Johannesburg, South Africa where her father was temporarily employed, and moved to England with her family when she was 18 months old [http://www.bethtweddle.com/personal.htm] . She was raised in Bunbury, Cheshire, England. Tweddle began gymnastics at the age of seven at a local club, and was named to the British junior national team in 1994. In 1997, she moved to the City of Liverpool Gymnastics Club. [http://www.insidegymnastics.com/content/show/newsarticle.aspx?articleid=167&zoneid=1 "Making History: Beth Tweddle"] "Inside Gymnastics," November 4, 2007] . Tweddle won the British senior National Championships for the first time in 2001. She has also been a member of the City of Liverpool Gymnastics Club team, which has won the British Team Championships five times. [ [http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/sport/other-sports/2008/06/18/gymnastics-city-provides-a-show-of-strength-100252-21094085/ "Gymnastics: City provides a show of strength"] James Pearce, "Liverpool Echo," June 18 2008]

Gymnastics career

Tweddle's first major senior international competition was the 2001 World Championships, where she placed 24th in the all-around and ninth with the British team. [http://www.fig-gymnastics.com/events/athletes/bio.jsp?ID=5285 Tweddle's official results record at the International Gymnastics Federation] ] Tweddle's performance improved in 2002, winning a bronze medal on the uneven bars at the 2002 European Artistic Gymnastic Championships (European Championships) in Patras, Greece. The medal was the first for a British gymnast at a European Championship. [http://www.uksport.gov.uk/news/949/ "Tweddle makes history at European champs"] Rob Burgess, UK Sport, April 22, 2002] At the 2002 World Championships, Tweddle finished fourth on the uneven bars. Tweddle also participated at the 2002 Commonwealth Games, winning the all-around event and the uneven bars and finishing second in the team event [http://www.sportinglife.com/commonwealth_games/gymnastics/story_get.cgi?STORY_NAME=commonwealth/02/07/29/COMMONWEALTH_Gymnastics_Lead.html "Medal Treble for Tweddle"] Jason Hughes, "PA International," 2002] . In 2003 Tweddle competed at the the World Championships winning a bronze on the uneven bars and becoming the first British gymnast ever to medal at Worlds. [http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4159/is_20030831/ai_n12743914 "Inside Lines: Beth Tweddle"] Alan Hubbard, "The Independent," August 31, 2003]

In 2004, Tweddle competed at the European Championships, winning a silver medal on the uneven bars and placing fifth with the British team. She was selected to compete as part of the British team at the Athens Olympics,cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/olympics/gymnastics/7480366.stm|title=Tweddle and Downie lead GB team|publisher=BBC Sport Olympics|date=June 29 2008] and finished eleventh in the team competition and nineteenth in the all-around. At the 2004 World Cup finals in Birmingham, Tweddle earned a silver medal on the uneven bars and placed fifth on floor.

During the 2005 season, Tweddle withdrew from the European Championships through injury, after qualifying in the top eight for all eventsFact|date=May 2008. At the 2005 World Championships, Tweddle finished fourth in the floor and third in uneven bars.cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/commonwealth_games/4805840.stm|title=Injury forces Tweddle to pull out|author=Sarah Holt|publisher=BBC Sport|date=March 15 2006] Due to injury sustained during the uneven bars, Tweddle withdrew from floor competitionFact|date=May 2008.

Tweddle was named as the team captain for the British squad at the 2006 Commonwealth Games, but was forced to withdraw from the competition after sustaining an ankle injury in training. She did compete in the 2006 European Championships, where she won a gold medal on bars. The victory was the first at the European Championships for a British gymnast.

In October 2006, Tweddle became Britain's first ever gymnastics World Champion by winning the uneven bars event with a score of 16.200 in the 2006 World Championships in Aarhus, Denmarkcite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/other_sports/gymnastics/6071832.stm|title=Super Tweddle wins landmark gold|publisher=BBC Sport|date=October 20, 2006] , ahead of 2005 World Champion Nastia Liukin. The performance was all the more remarkable because Tweddle had previously been less than perfect on bars in the competition: she had only qualified in fifth place and had fallen in the all-around. Nonetheless, she was able to perform her very difficult routine cleanly and the reward was the highest score of the entire championship. Tweddle also performed cleanly in floor finals to finish fifth, and was less than half a tenth away from bronze. At her final major competition of 2006, the World Cup final, Tweddle won the uneven bars over China's Li Ya.

Tweddle won her seventh consecutive British National Championship title in July 2007. Later in the year, she competed with the British team at the 2007 World Championships, helping them to qualify a full team to the 2008 Olympics, but placed out of the medals on all events.cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/other_sports/gymnastics/6980850.stm|title=Tweddle slumps to fourth on bars|publisher=BBC Sport|date=September 8 2007] At the Glasgow Grand Prix in November, errors on bars led to a low placement, Tweddle placed first on floor. [ [http://www.uksport.gov.uk/news/glasgow_gold_for_tweddle_and_king/ "Glasgow gold for Tweddle and King"] Lee Taylor, UK Sport, December 11, 2007]

At the 2008 European Championships in April, Tweddle won a silver medal on the floor exercise and placed fourth on bars. [http://www.intlgymnast.com/Online-Features/reports/283.html "Four Nations Golden as Europeans Conclude"] Amanda Turner, "International Gymnast," April 6 2008] At the British National Championships Tweddle only competed in the uneven bars due to an ankle injury.

Tweddle was selected for the British team for the 2008 Olympics.cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/olympics/gymnastics/7471364.stm|title=Tweddle to miss GB Championships|publisher=BBC Sport Olympics|date=June 24 2008] Tweddle competed in the uneven bars and floor at the Olympics, and qualified for the bars event final. In the final, she placed 4th with a score of 16.625.Cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/olympics/gymnastics/7568051.stm|title=China win as Tweddle misses out|accessdate=2008-08-18|publisher=BBC Sport|year=2008] However, the gold and bronze medalists in the bars event are under IOC investigation, as some sources report them as being too young for international competition. If the IOC disqualifies them, Tweddle will be promoted to the silver-medal position. [ [http://en.epochtimes.com/n2/china/chinese-gymnasts-underage-olympics-3097.html Chinese Gymnasts 14, Official Document Shows] "Epoch Times". 20 Aug 2008] [ [http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/olympics/article4583174.ece International Olympic Committee launches probe into He Kexin's age] "The Times Online". 22 Aug 2008]

Other activities

Tweddle graduated from Liverpool John Moores University with a degree in Sports Science in 2007. After retiring, she plans to become a physiotherapist.

As a result of her success in international gymnastics, Tweddle was nominated for, and finished in third place, for the 2006 BBC Sports Personality of the Year, the only British gymnast ever to make the short list for the award.cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/tv_and_radio/sports_personality_of_the_year/6196898.stm|title=Sports Personality contenders|publisher=BBC Sport|date=December 4 2006]

Competitive history

"Results as per Tweddle's official competition record at the International Gymnastics Federation athlete profile page."

2008 history

2005 history

2002 history

2001 history

References

External links

* [http://www.bethtweddle.com Official website]
*fig|id=5285|name=Beth Tweddle