An unchanged British women’s team has been named for the 2022 World Gymnastics Championships taking place at M&S Bank Arena, Liverpool, from 29th October to 6th November.
The team of Alice Kinsella, Jessica Gadirova, Jennifer Gadirova, Ondine Achampong and Georgia-Mae Fenton will return to action for GBR fresh off the back of winning team silver at the recent European Championships in Munich.
Kinsella, from Park Wrekin, has had an excellent 18 months. She was part of the GB team that won Olympic bronze last year, and has gone on to impress this summer at both the Commonwealth Games for Team England where she won individual floor gold, and the European Championships where she won individual all-around silver.
Also named in the team is Olympic bronze medallist, Jessica Gadirova from Aylesbury. She will go head-to-head with the best in the world on home soil following team and individual success at the European Championships in August, where she became back-to-back European floor champion.
Jessica’s twin sister, Jennifer, who was also part of the Olympic team that won bronze in 2021, will compete in Liverpool too. Jennifer played a key role in the team’s silver medal success at the recent European Championships.
Also from Aylesbury is Achampong who will return having impressed in front of a home crowd at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. She won individual all-around and floor silver there, and then went on to win European beam silver in Munich.
Fenton, from South Essex, completes a strong British women’s line up. The current Commonwealth Games uneven bars champion will be targeting that apparatus in particular and will also hope to add to the team total as they look to challenge for medals.
Alice Kinsella: “It’s an absolute honour to have been selected for this year’s World Championships especially with it being in Liverpool. This will be my 4th World Championships now so I’m massively excited for it. It’s going to be super special having that home crowd support. Having such a supportive crowd honestly helps so much as we saw for the Commonwealth Games, so I’m excited to have the opportunity to experience what the Liverpool crowd can bring. I’m really looking forward to showing the rest of the world what we can do.”
Jessica Gadirova: “I’m so excited, this will be my first World Championships and it will be even more special to be in Liverpool with the home crowd. Competing at the British Championships earlier this year gave me an idea of just how incredible the crowd can be, how supportive they are and just how much they can make the difference to your performance. My success at the recent European Championships definitely gives me lots of confidence going into these Championships which are another level up in terms of competition."
Jennifer Gadirova: “Competing at a World Championship at home is going to be incredible, they lift our spirits and give that extra adrenaline that helps us to our best. As someone who loves to perform, the crowd helps me a lot, they give me the energy and makes me feel pumped and ready to go. Competing at the European Championship then recently at the World Cup in Paris I feel like my confidence is growing all the time and I’m getting more comfortable competing on the big stage. This team is very special, I think the key is we’re really close, I’m just really happy to represent GB with these girls.”
Ondine Achampong: “It’s a huge honour to be selected for the World Championships in Liverpool. The experience from the summer of the home crowd was really cool and I can’t wait to have that feeling again. It gives me a lot of confidence heading to the Worlds having competed in two major events already this year and having done so well. Also knowing the Liverpool arena so well and being comfortable from experience of competing there is a major help.”
Georgia-Mae Fenton: “I’m super excited and grateful. I really wanted to target the World Championships this year just like any other year but with it being in Liverpool and in front of the home crowd again it will be an even more amazing experience. I’m so excited and overwhelmed with joy with what’s been a great year of competition for my career and British Gymnastics as a whole. We want to continue the momentum and hopefully achieve more success out there and enjoy the experience together.”
The British women's team will compete in qualifying session 3 (Q3), subdivision 10. Limited tickets are available for this session.
