THE Gadirova twins were the darlings of British gymnastics a year ago in Tokyo and this summer has proven that they are no one-off, according to Beth Tweddle.
At the Olympic Games, the then 16-year-old’s were part of the first British team to win an all-around medal since 1928 alongside Alice Kinsella and Amelie Morgan.
After skipping the World Championships last year and the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, the question heading into the European Championships in Munich was whether they could back that up.
They did that and then some, the duo helping Britain to team silver before Jessica retained her European floor title, impressing three-time world champion and London 2012 bronze medallist Tweddle in the process.
“Through Covid, we didn’t really see them, and then they came onto the senior team and go and win an Olympic bronze medal,” said Tweddle.
“What an amazing way to showcase yourselves, obviously with Amelie and Alice as well. But they have backed that up, it’s not just about the one result.
“They chose to sit out the World Champs at the end of last year and the Commonwealths. That will have been a decision between them, their personal coaches and the national coaches.
“Ultimately it paid off, Jessica the European champion again on the floor. And she did the routine of her life, it was a fantastic routine in that final. The pressure was on because it was a really intense final.”
Still only 17, the twins are rapidly emerging as superstars on the British gymnastics scene, with the next major event, the World Championships on home soil in Liverpool at the end of the year.
Tweddle is no stranger to the challenges of the media spotlight on the biggest stage, leading the way for the recent renaissance in gymnastics in this country.
And she explained that the key for the twins will be to ensure they have the right people around them to manage the expectations and demands of their precocious success.
She added: “It’s the support network around you. Their personal coach knows the job that needs to be done within the gym and then they work closely with British Gymnastics, with Tim Peake, who is in charge of the media relations.
“They will help manage when they are out in the limelight and when they are focusing solely on training. It’s relying on that support network around you to help guide you.”
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