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British Gymnastics have named the English Artistic & Rhythmic Teams who will challenge for Gold at the Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games! World Championship double bronze medallist Beth Tweddle leads England's gymnastics challenge in her second Commonwealth Games after Beth won a gold medal on the uneven bars at the Manchester 2002 Commonwealth Games, plus the individual all-around silver and a team silver.
20 year old Beth from City of Liverpool will lead the English Team into the Rod Laver Arena which also hosted the World Artistic Championships in November, where she won a bronze medal on Bars. Beth also won bronze in the same discipline at the Anaheim World Championships in 2003 and has also proved herself to be much more than a Bars specialist after sensational performances in the All Around Events recently.
Ross Brewer will lead the English Mens Team in his third successive Commonwealths, aiming to make it a hat trick of Gold Medals for the England Team, after the England teams won the Commonwealth team titles in both Manchester 2002 and Kuala Lumpur in 1998!
Team England also name some exciting young talents who won medals at the 2004 Bendigo Commonwealth Youth Games in their team for Melbourne 2006, and have already represented Great Britain on the International and World stage.
Imogen Cairns won a pair of individual gold medals in Bendigo she won the vault and jointly won the gold on the floor. Imogen also made a very successful World Championships debut last year, where she finished eight in the World in the Vault Finals. The English Champion will be one of the favourites to medal in Melbourne. Shavahn Church is also selected after winning the final Commonwealth Trials in Lilleshall last weekend, and making her GB debut at the World Championships. Shavahn qualified despite having to change gyms where she is based in the USA only a month ago.
The Junior European Pommel Horse Champion, Louis Smith also won an individual gold on the pommel horse at the Bendigo 2004 Commonwealth Youth Games. He will be joined by his Huntingdon Team Mate and the current British Under 18 Champion Luke Folwell. Huntingdon will have 5 of their gymnasts at Commonwealth’s after Daniel Payne was named as a reserve, and Daniel Keatings and Emma White were selected for the Scotland Team! Matthew Cosgrave from Northern Ireland and Alex Hedges from the Isle of Man are also training at the Club as they prepare for the Games in a hugely impressive display of the crop of gymnasts at Huntingdon who are coached by Paul Hall.
Rhythmic Gymnastics makes a welcome return to the Commonwealth Games after missing out in Manchester. Double British Champion Hannah Chappell, winner of three individual silver medals in the rhythmic events in Bendigo in the rope, the ball and the ribbon. Hannah also won the Junior British Title in 2004, and then the Senior All Around Title as well as three British Apparatus Titles in Ball, Rope and Clubs in 2005!
The English Team will be determined to improve on their impressive haul of three gold medals, five silvers and a bronze in the gymnastics events at the Manchester 2002 Commonwealth Games to finish third behind Australia and Canada in the overall medals table. Australia, who will benefit from being at home in Melbourne, won six golds, five silvers and four bronzes in Manchester, with Canada taking four golds, two silvers and six bronzes. In the overall Medal Table in Manchester, Team England finished second with 54 Gold, 51 Silver and 60 Bronze Medals.
Ann Hogbin, Team England's Chef de Mission for Melbourne 2006, said: ‘I’d like to congratulate members of the England gymnastics team on their selection and wish them the very best of luck for Melbourne 2006.’
The Team England gymnastics team for the Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games is as follows:
ARTISTIC
Men's team
(format: name home/ date & place of birth)
Ryan Bradley Dudley, West Midlands/17.09.84, Dudley
Ross Brewer Wallington, Surrey/ 01.10.79, High Wycombe
Luke Folwell Huntingdon, Cambs/ 15.05.87, Northampton
Louis Smith Peterborough/ 22.04.89, Peterborough
Kristian Thomas Wolverhampton/14.02.89, Wolverhampton
Coaches:
(name lives)
Paul Hall - Spaldwick, Cambs
Simon Moore - Carshalton, Surrey
Women's team
Imogen Cairns Colyton, Devon/ 26.01.89, Bristol
Shavahn Church Los Angeles/ 03.05.89, Van Nuys, California, USA
Hannah Clowes Macclesfield, Cheshire/ 24.02.91, Macclesfield
Becky Downie Nottingham/24.01.92, Nottingham
Beth Tweddle Bunbury, Cheshire/ 01.04.85, Johannesburg, RSA
Coaches:
Liz Kincaid - Portishead, North Somerset
Amanda Kirby - Liverpool
RHYTHMIC
Hannah Chappell Coventry/16.06.90, Coventry
Rachel Ennis Ruislip Middlesex/21.06.87, Hillingdon
Heather Mann Brighton/09.07.89, Southview RGC
Coach:
Marion Sands - Coventry
Team manager: Mike Weinstock Newport, Shropshire
Physiotherapist: Jean Denton - Shrewsbury
The Team departs on 27th February 2006 and begin competing in Melbourne on 16th March.
CONGRATULATIONS TO THE ENGLISH TEAMS AND GOOD LUCK IN MELBOURNE!
Full scores from the Final Trial are shown below!
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