![]() “I had far too much energy,” she says, laughing. While her parents watched television she preferred to spend hours practising, back-flipping on every bed in the house and doing round-off flicks on a low beam in the front room. “By then I guess I could do most of the basic skills such as cartwheels, hand stands, forehands and it all progressed from there,” she says modestly. Tinkler has certainly come a long way since starting baby gym classes aged two and being put in the elite programme at the South Durham Gymnastics club at five. And when training is tough she always finds a way to make us laugh or calm us down.” She keeps team spirits up and she’s really nice. “I look up to her so much, and what she achieved at the Commonwealths was incredible. “Claudia and I are both very similar because our best events are the same – the floor and vault – and we do some of our training together,” she says. If all goes perfectly, she hopes to be joined in both events by her friend Fragapane, who not only inspires her but regularly makes her laugh. If Tinkler is among the top 24 gymnasts in the team qualification she will also qualify for the individual all-around finals and will need to be among the top eight in floor, her favourite event, to make the final. You’ve just got to be able to not let them get to you.” “I’ll be a little nervous, but nerves usually help in competitions. “I love big audiences, and with the home crowd the atmosphere should be amazing,” she says. Given that Tinkler had just moved up from junior to senior level – a transition that often causes a temporary wobble as the young gymnast adjusts to a different environment and more challenging routines – it also marked her out as one to watch.īut she insists the prospect of facing the world’s best for the first time in front of 5,000 people at the SSE Hydro in Glasgow will not faze her. “So there will no cake on my birthday and I’ll probably wait until the competition is done before opening my presents too.”Įarlier this year Tinkler won the British all-around and floor championships, beating the four-time Commonwealth gold medallist Claudia Fragapane and European bronze medallist Ellie Downie into silver and bronze after a series of nerveless displays. “It’s going to be awesome to compete on my birthday in the team final but given that I’ve put in so much work and our squad is so strong this year, I am going to wait to celebrate,” she says chirpily.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |