The British Team ready to demonstrate high standards in
Melbourne
The British Team who will represent the country at the World
Championships in the Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne from 21st
until 28th November, are flying out to Australia on Sunday,
13 Nov. 2005.
With 301 athletes representing 54 counties and seven of the
2004 Athens Olympic Games gold medallists competing, these
first post-Olympic Championships are expected to turn in to
a significant event and reveal the names of the new talents
who will play a key role in the world of Gymnastics up to
Beijing 2008.
The Team is led by Beth Tweddle from Liverpool, the 2003
World Bronze medallist on A. Bars in Anaheim (USA), who had
added a number of victories and medals in the most prestigious
international competitions ever since. In Melbourne she will
be a strong challenger not only on the A. Bars, but also in
the All-around and Floor. (Please, see the short profiles
of the team-members below).
With good chances to make the Finals on Floor and Vault is
the quickly maturing first year Senior Imogen Cairns from
The Academy Gym Club (near Bristol), who won Bronze medals
on these two apparatus at the Glasgow Grand Prix and World
Cup at the end of October.
The newcomer in the National Team, the British-American Shavahn
Church, from Tarzana, California, is a very athletic and competitive
gymnast and could surprise the world elite, particularly on
Vault and A. Bars.
The 2004 Junior European Champion on A. Bars, Rhian Pugh
from Bristol Hawks Gym Club (5th in Glasgow), will make her
Senior début in Melbourne and on a good day could reach
the Final.
The triple British Champion Ross Brewer (26), from Sutton
School of Gymnastics, is the only Brit to compete in the All-around
of the Men’s event, while ten years younger Louis Smith,
from Huntingdon Gym Club, will defend his reputation as an
up-and-coming threat to the world’s aces on Pommels.
He is the 2004 Junior European Champion and was Bronze medallist
in Glasgow.
The Head of the British Delegation in Melbourne, Brian Stocks,
President of British Gymnastics said: “British Gymnastics
have marked an incredible progress over the last few years
and we hope that our competitors will prove this in Melbourne.
Winning the bids to host the 2009 World Championships and
the 2012 Games in London has given a huge boost to our morales
and ambitions, and Melbourne will be the stage for the new
Olympic cycle to make them known to the rest of the world”.
GB Delegation in Melbourne
Gymnasts:
Ross Brewer MAG Gymnast
Louis Smith MAG Gymnast
Elizabeth Tweddle WAG Gymnast
Shavahn Church WAG Gymnast
Imogen Cairns WAG Gymnast
Rhian Pugh AG Gymnast
Coaches:
Paul Hall MAG Coach
Andrei Popov Observer
Amanda Kirby WAG Coach
Don Peters WAG Coach
Helen Potter WAG Coach
Liz Kincaid WAG Coach
Feng Yu WAG Personal Coach
Judges:
Paul Johnston MAG Judge
Robin Leeworthy WAG Judge
John Aldridge Doctor
Gill Davy Physio
Brian Stocks HOD
GB gymnasts profiles
 Elizabeth
Tweddle: All-around
DOB: 1/04/1985, City of Liverpool Gym Club, coached by Amanda
Kirby; Home town: Bunbury, Cheshire
Judging by her achievements, she is the best British female
gymnast ever: the first to win World and European medals (2003
World Bronze medal, 2004 European Silver and 2002 European
Bronze medal), all on her “crown” discipline,
the Asymmetric Bars. She is also the 2002 Commonwealth Games
Champion on A. Bars and Silver Medallist in the All-around,
five times British Senior Champion (2001-2005), 2005 World
Student Champion on A. Bars and Bronze medallist in the overall.
Less than a month before the 2005 World Championships in Melbourne,
she won Gold medals on A. Bars and Floor and Bronze on Beam
at the Glasgow Grand Prix and World Cup event.
She is a student at John Moores University in Liverpool (Sports
Science).
Hobbies: Shopping, but does not have much time for it. Family:
Mum, Dad, Brother James (3 years older).
Imogen Cairns: Floor & Vault
DOB: 26/01/1989; The Academy Gym Club, coached by Liz Kincaid,
Home town: Portishead
Six time British Champion at Espoir and Junior level; very
quickly progressing first year Senior; 2004 Junior Europeans-
5th Floor, 7th Vault; 2004 Commonwealth Youth Games-Bronze
AA, Gold Vault, Silver Floor. 2005 British Senior Championships-
Bronze overall, Silver Vault & Floor. At the 2005 Glasgow
Grand Prix and World Cup she was the only female competitor,
apart from Beth Tweddle, to win two medals - Bronze, on Floor
and Vault.
Elegant and a very quickly maturing gymnast.
Hobbies: Shopping, Music/DVDs; Family: One sister, Bryony
(9)
 Rhian
Pugh: A.Bars
DOB: 16/04/1989, Bristol Hawks Gym Club, coached by Helen
May. Home town: Yate near Bristol
2004 European Junior Champion on A. Bars, in Amsterdam, where
the Gymnastics specialists defined her routine as “uniquely
original”; 2005 Northern European Championships - Gold
A. Bars, Bronze Beam. She works extremely hard to achieve
excellence in her academic studies as well as her gymnastics
career; 2004 Welsh Young Sports Personality of the Year. 2005
Glasgow Grand Prix and World Cup- 5th on A. Bars.
Hobbies: Shopping and Music. Family: Parents Rob & Tracy
are very proud and supportive of Rhian, as are sister Ceri
(17), whose interests include Taekwondo and art, and brother
Marcus (12), who swims competitively and is also great on
his inline skates.
Shavahn Church: All-around
DOB: 3/05/1989, From Tarzana, California USA; Member of Heathrow
Gym Club, Coached by the famous American coach Don Peters
and Yu Feng.
This British-American (all her family have dual citizenship),
came to the spotlight in the spring of 2005, but has a strong
chance to represent GB at the World Championships in Melbourne,
in November. Very explosive and athletic gymnast, excels on
A. Bars and Vault.
Ross Brewer: All-around
DOB: 1/10/1979 (26) Club: Sutton School of Gymnastics Coach:
Simon Moore
1998 & 2002 Commonwealth Games Team (England) Gold medallist;
Three times British Senior Overall Champion (2003, 2004, 2005),
English Champion (2003, 2004, 2005) and British University
Champion (1999, 2001, 2002). Great International experience-
took part in three World Championships Tianjin’99, Ghent’01
and Anaheim’03 and three Europeans (1996, 2004, 2005).
An Academic high-flyer- graduated from Surrey University in
2002 (BSc Mathematics), Now works as an accountant in his
father’s company and is also promoting gymnastics giving
displays at schools.
Family: Parents Keith & Shirley, sister Kimberley 2 years
younger. In June 2005 he married Sarah whom he met in the
University.
 Louis
Smith: Pommel Horse
DOB: 22/04/1989 (16), Huntingdon Gym Club; coached by Paul
Hall;
His victory winning the European Junior title on Pommels
in Lubljana (SLO) created a sensation. ”He became a
Champion, because he wanted it and was prepared to work for
it”, explained his coach, Paul Hall. 2005 British U16
Championships- Silver medal Overall; More is to come for this
new British prodigy. The 16 year-old embarked on an extremely
busy competition period when he represented Great Britain
at a number of Grand Prix events (Bronze medal on Pommels
in Glasgow’05) and is now looking forward to his debut
as a Senior in Melbourne.
Individual Best Achievements for GB at World Championships
to date:
Men
Neil Thomas MBE - World Silver medallist on Floor in 1993
& 1994
Women
All-around: Holly Murdock - 14th place at the World Championships
in Ghent (BEL), 2001
Apparatus: Beth Tweddle- Bronze medal on A. Bars at the World
Championships in Anaheim (USA) 2003
GB Participants in the previous World Championships
in Anaheim (USA) 2003
Beth Tweddle
Ross Brewer
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