"That is still in my mind," said Tweddle, who had originally earmarked this year's World Championships as the time to end her glittering career. "I have nothing set in stone, but I would like to compete at the London Games. Home crowds are the best and I don't get to compete in major international competitions on home soil very often, so I'm really looking forward to the Worlds and possibly the Olympics."
Beth Tweddle, looking forward to the 2009 Worlds
(photo: AFP/Getty Images)
Tweddle said she was recovering well from the shoulder surgery she had in November. "It is a bit sore but that is mainly because I haven't used it for 10 weeks. I'm hoping I get the all-clear to begin training again so I can make sure I'm fit for the Euros in April, the Grand Prix in Glasgow and the other events I need to get up to standard."
When Tweddle resumes training she will have some work to do. Her uneven bars routine, the most difficult in the world, needs to be altered after rule changes which have reduced the amount of time gymnasts can spend on the bars.
"It should actually help me," said Tweddle, a member of Liverpool Gymnastics Club. "A shorter routine, but with the same difficult moves in, will be a benefit to me and hopefully help me continue my success."
Read the rest of the interview here.
Meanwhile, British Gymnastics is reporting that the British senior women's squad is back in training after its festive break. Apparently the girls recently had a get-together at Lilleshall National Sports Centre.
Adrian Stan, Women's Artistic Gymnastics Technical Director, told British Gymnastics: "This year, being the first in the new Olympic cycle, represents a challenge as always in that it is individual. [Both the 2009 Europeans and the 2009 Worlds will lack a team event, focusing on individual finals instead.] The challenge for all countries is in rebuilding their squads. We are not in a bad position whatsoever. Obviously after Christmas and New Year this is the first squad training and maybe the gymnasts could step up their fitness a little bit, but that is absolutely normal. In terms of injuries and fitness, Imogen (Cairns) is still struggling slightly but other than that we are in great shape and even Beth (Tweddle) has recovered very well from her shoulder operation and looks fine."
Imogen Cairns, said to be "still struggling slightly"
(photo: Christian Ballat/Gymbox)
Stan went on to say: "This training camp is for us to assess the gymnasts, to see who can and can't [be considered for] the European Championships, and to finetune the planning for the year. The Europeans are important, being the first official major competition under the new Code of Points. We cannot make any real statements on our form until the code is stabilized and all the courses etc. are finished. That's when we can adjust to it and really progress."
Although I don't think Beth will ever regain her all-around status that she used to have, I hope she will.
ReplyDeleteThank you for all the posts you do on this blog - I especially find it so hard to keep up with the Chinese gymnasts news (because I don't speak Chinese) and its great you post so much of it and all other news as well. I've been reading your blog for months now and its great- objective, informative, interesting, diverse and well written :D. So keep up the great work all of you. -Liz
ReplyDeleteI love Beth Tweddle. I really hope that she does well in London this year!
ReplyDeleteI am not surprised at all about this news. I kinda figured the anticipation of the Olympics on her home turf would be too tempting to avoid. I'm glad to see that she's considering it!
ReplyDeleteWe too really hope Beth will stick around until the 2012 Games. She should, really! And yes, we'd like to see her as a successful all-arounder too, Cidlover. She is far too good an all-arounder to be focusing on one or two events only.
ReplyDeleteLiz, thanks for the kind words! We're blushing here. :) Glad you appreciate our work, and we'll try to keep it up.
Will Beth be the next Chuso? Once she quits, the GB teams really have nothing of substance. I think the pressure of holding up her country's gymnastic program will keep her going forever. Even if you watch the other GB gymnasts on BBC coverage, the announcers always talk about Beth. "Oh this lass goes to the same gym as Beth..." etc.
ReplyDeletelove the toe point Beth is showing in that picture. wow!
ReplyDeleteAnonymous 1, we think the other British gymnasts are improving. Sure, Beth is their star and the BBC pays an awful lot of attention to her, but other gymnasts definitely seem to be improving in her wake. Who knows what the next few years may bring?
ReplyDeleteAnonymous 2, we love the toe point too! It definitely caught our eye when we first saw that pic.