Tweddle to Represent Britain in Serbia

Britains top gymnast will compete at the World University Games

Jun 11, 2009

Beth Tweddle is among the ten gymnasts selected to represent Great Britain at the 25th World University Games in Belgrade, Serbia this July.

Commonwealth athletes Olivia Bryl and Robert Payne will join the 24 year old along with Steven Jehu and Tom Rawlinson who both attended the 2007 Games in Bankok.

Tweddle herself is no stranger to the Games; in 2005 she received gold in the uneven bars and two bronze medals. The Health Studies student wants to use this years event as preparation for the World Championships which will be held in London in October.

Tweddle said: “Every event prepares you for another event. It gives you the experience of competing in different environments, allowing you to experience all the distractions and find out how best to focus on your event and not allow them to put you off.

“Competing at a multi-sport event is a lot different to competing in just a gymnastics competition. There are many more people around and in your team. In a way this is great, as you have a larger support network around you, but it can also act as a distraction.”

The World University Games

This years Games will include the thirteen permanent sports and four optional sports chosen by the Belgrade Organising Committee for 2009. The permanent Sports include Athletics, Basketball, Diving, Fencing, Football, Gymnastics (Artistic and Rhythmic), Judo, Swimming, Table Tennis, Tennis, Volleyball and Water Polo while the optional sports are Archery, Handball, Tae Kwon Do and Wrestling.

The Games are organised biannually by the International University Sports Federation (FISU) to give university athletes from around the world a chance to compete against one another. This summer over 9,000 competitors and officials are expected to descend upon Belgrade making the event the second largest global multi-sports gathering after the Summer Olympics.

In 1991 Great Britain hosted the Games in Sheffield. This contributed to the rejuvenation of the city following the building of the Don Valley Stadium, Pond’s Forge Swimming Complex and Sports Centre and the Sheffield Arena. It is now one of the foremost sporting cities in the country.

The Team

Steven Jehu (Leeds Metropolitan University, graduated 2008) Health-related exercise and fitness

Tom Rawlinson (Leeds Metropolitan University, graduated 2008) Sports Performance Coaching

Tim Sanders (Loughborough University, graduated 2008) Industrial Design & Technology

The copyright of the article Tweddle to Represent Britain in Serbia in Gymnastics is owned by Kim Ford. Permission to republish Tweddle to Represent Britain in Serbia in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.