Tameside's Team GB teen Rebecca Tunney helps secure highest post-war placing for women gymnasts at London 2012
Manchester gymnast Rebecca Tunney and her team achieved the highest post-war placing for GB women’s gymnastics in yesterday’s London 2012 final.
Tunney, 15, and the Team GB women gymnasts finished sixth in the competition, which was won by the United States.
The Tameside teenager – who is Britain’s youngest Olympian – said she was happy with the team’s performance.
She said: "We came into this competition today thinking we just wanted to have fun. It was such a great achievement to even qualify in the finals. Today we just came out and had fun. I can't ask for anything better.”
The Team GB women’s gymnastics team, which is made up of Tunney, Beth Tweddle, Jenni Pinches, Hannah Whelan and Imogen Cairns, qualified for the final after finishing second behind the United States in their subdivision.
Although the team were not able to replicate the bronze-medal-winning performance of their male counterparts, Tunney or ‘Twiggy’ as she is known by her team-mates, spoke of her admiration for Louis Smith and the other Team GB male gymnasts.
“It was inspiring to get a medal, they did the best they could and so did we. It was a massive achievement to qualify,” she said.
Tunney will be competing again in the individual all-around final on Thursday and has her eyes set on a medal.
She added: "I can't ask for anything bigger. I am really excited. I just hope I can go all the way.”
As last year’s British junior champion, Tunney does not turn sixteen until October but insists that being the youngest member of Team GB has made little difference to her team-mates.
"I'm no different than anyone else really, I get treated exactly the same and I know everyone so well anyway," she said.
Tunney trains at the City of Liverpool Gymnastic Club alongside her Cheshire-based team-mate and Beth Tweddle.
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