Jessica Gadirova returns to defend her floor crown while Max Whitlock makes his first major outing since Tokyo 2020.
A year on from a glittery display on home soil, Great Britain’s gymnasts are ready to shine once more on the global stage at the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Antwerp, Belgium.
In Liverpool in 2022, the Brits came away with six medals including golds for Jessica Gadirova and Giarnni Regini-Moran on the floor.
Now as the team plots a path to more medals in Belgium, let’s introduce the protagonists:
Women’s team
Ondine Achampong
Last year was something of a breakthrough for Ondine Achampong, who collected six major medals across the Commonwealth Games, Europeans and Worlds. She was part of the women’s team that won gold in the former and silvers in the other two, while she has added a European gold to that medal collection in 2023. Away from gymnastics, she loves spending time with pet tortoise Mishelle.
Ruby Evans
At just 16, Ruby Evans will be the youngest member of the British contingent in Belgium as she continues to earn an opportunity on the biggest stage at senior level. The Welsh gymnast made her Great Britain debut in the FIG World Cup in Germany earlier this year, winning silver on vault and bronze on the floor. She is now set to become the first Welsh gymnast to compete at the World Championships in 17 years, when her now coach Olivia Bryl was part of the GB team (alongside Lynette Lisle).
Georgia-Mae Fenton
Inspired by Beth Tweddle to take up the sport, Georgia-Mae Fenton has been a mainstay of the British team for six years now since appearing at the World Championships back in 2017. The following year she earned a gold and a silver at the Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast and she has since added a further two Commonwealth golds, along with being part of the World Championship silver medal-winning team in Liverpool.
Jessica Gadirova
Still only 18, Jessica Gadirova arrives in Belgium to defend her world crown that she won on the floor last year in Liverpool. While twin sister Jennifer will be absent in Antwerp, Jessica will head over a year on from winning a full set of medals in 2022, adding team silver and all-around bronze. Earlier this year at the European Championships, she won a hat-trick of gold medals in those events in Turkey.
Alice Kinsella
Part of the bronze medal-winning team at Tokyo 2020, Alice Kinsella enjoyed a fine 2022 in which she won two gold medals at the Commonwealth Games as one of the hometown heroes in Birmingham, before being part of the team that won bronze in Liverpool. Now 22, she made her senior debut six years ago and has won a major medal every year since with the exception of the Covid-affected 2020.
Men’s team
James Hall
The ultimate team player, James Hall never lets the side down and been an integral part of the Great Britain team for eight years now. He helped the men’s team to world silver in 2015 and bronze in 2022, while he has tasted gold in the team at both Commonwealth and European level. Australian-born but Maidstone-bred, he also made it successive all-around Commonwealth silvers in Birmingham last year despite finishing the competition barely able to walk because of an ankle injury.
Harry Hepworth
The newest member of the team, Harry Hepworth made his senior debut at the European Championships earlier this year in Antalya and will now make the step up to world level. Still only 19, Hepworth has been on the radar for a while, having won all-around, rings, vault and pommel horse gold at the Under-18 British Gymnastics Championships in Cardiff in 2021.
Jake Jarman
The breakthrough star of 2022, Jake Jarman became the first English gymnast ever to win four gold medals at a single Commonwealth Games with success in the team, all-around, floor and vault in Birmingham. He followed that up with two more golds at the Europeans in Munich before being part of Britain’s bronze medal-winning team in Liverpool. An incredible haul a year on from serving as the reserve in Tokyo.
Courtney Tulloch
Inspired by a cartwheeling footballer, Courtney Tulloch started gymnastics at the age of six and has not looked back since. With Commonwealth Games gold in both the team and rings in Gold Coast and Birmingham, Tulloch added a pair of world bronzes in the same events in Liverpool. Add in seven European medals, including gold in the team in Munich last year, and Tulloch’s record speaks for itself.
Max Whitlock
The man who needs no introduction. Max Whitlock will be making his first appearance at a major championship since Tokyo 2020 when he took his tally of Olympic medals to six with his third gold medal, and second in the pommel horse. Already Britain’s most successful gymnast ever, Whitlock will be looking to add to his eight World Championship medals which include a hat-trick of pommel horse golds.
Sportsbeat 2023