Beth Tweddle MBE

Beth Tweddle is Britain’s most successful female gymnast. As the Asymmetric Bars and World Floor Champion, she was only the fifth person in the history of the sport to reach the top in two separate disciplines.

Having become the first female British gymnast to win a medal at the European Championships Beth competed in her first Olympics in Athens. After having to withdraw from the Commonwealth Games with an ankle injury, Beth bounced back to win the world title on the bars in Denmark. Having won Britain’s first ever World Championship gold in the tournament, she also became the first gymnast to be nominated for the BBC Sports Personality of the Year.

At the Beijing Olympics, she narrowly missed out on bronze, but despite injuries and a looming retirement, she was determined to win an Olympic medal. At London 2012 she realised her dream, taking bronze on the bars and becoming the first ever British female gymnast to win World, European and Olympic medals.

Now retired, Beth is a key part of the BBC’s gymnastics coverage team. She not only became a role model for the next generation of British gymnasts, she also helped kick-start British success in the arena which has finally seen TeamGB compete with the US, Russian and Chinese powerhouses of the sport. Her determination to succeed in a sport where careers are short and competing at the top level for more than a decade is almost unheard of, hers is an inspiring story.