Gymnastics at the 2016 Rio Olympics
The world is gearing up for the 2016 Rio Olympics and with just a few weeks to go, Beemat takes a look at some of the key male and female gymnasts taking part in the Games this August.
Three gymnastics disciplines will be contested at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro - Artistic Gymnastics, rhythmic gymnastics and trampolining. All of the gymnastics events will be staged at the Arena Olimpica do Rio (known as the HSBC Arena) from 6-21 August.
Since 2012, gymnastics has become a vibrant success story, with its growing presence on media channels prompting waiting lists at clubs around the country.
London 2012
At the London Olympics 2012, the men's gymnastics team came away with a total of 4 medals, 1 silver and 3 bronze. The upward trend continued at October's World Championships where the women claimed bronze in the team event and the men took silver. In both genders, competition for places is fierce, and the talent keeps going up
Louis Smith
Aged 27, Louis Smith's strongest gymnastic event is the pommel horse on which he took Olympic Bronze in 2008 and Olympic Silver in 2012 as well as the Olympic team bronze in 2012, taking his medal haul to 3 and making him Britain's greatest ever Olympic gymnast. In 2015, he took pommel horse gold at the European Championships followed by pommel horse silver at the World Championships as well as being part of the team to win silver at the European Championships.
Max Whitlock
At the age of 23, Max Whitlock was part of the European Championships gold medal winning team , then at the Olympic Games he took team and pommel horse bronze medals. In 2013, he became an English and British all-round champion and European all-round silver, floor gold and pommel horse bronze. In October 2015, Whitlock became the first man to win gold for Great Britain in the World Championships when he claimed the pommel horse in Glasgow.
Becky Downie - Leader of women's team
Beth Tweddle may have retired but she leaves behind a legacy in Becky Downie. Leader of the women's team, there are high hopes for the 24 year old artistic gymnast at this year's Games. Considered a specialist on uneven bars and beam, Beckie is currently the double European and 2014 Commonwealth Games champion on uneven bars.
Ellie Downie
Becky Downie's sister, Ellie, is a British artistic gymnast and at the age of just 14 she represented Great Britain at the 2014 Summer Youth Olympics. Now aged 16, Ellie Downie who converted Great Britain’s team bronze at the world championships with a nerveless vault, and also claimed the first European all-around medal (another bronze) by any British woman last year, is one of the hot favourites to triumph at this year's Games. Becky has revealed that the sisters are working on new skills that could form part of their Rio performances.
Amanda Reddin - Head Gymnastic Coach
Head National gymnastics coach Amanda Reddin credits Romanian Adrian Stan for greatly improving the women's national programme in 1992. Redding said: “British gymnastics has progressed a lot over the last decade... I became national coach in 2012 and all the experience that he (Stan) gave to us has now taken form and we all work together as a team.”
Can we win medals?
At present, there are four genuine chances to take medals at this year's Games, two of the medals could be won on pommel horse where Smith and Whitlock will go head to head. Whitlock also has a shot at the all-around, and Becky Downie’s bars routine is certainly well worthy of world accreditation.
