By Steve Tervet
While Beth Tweddle was leading Great Britain’s medal charge at last week’s World Gymnastics Championships, one of Kent’s finest watched from the O2 stands, inspired by the world-class talent before him and determined to join them at the 2012 London Olympics.
Courtney Tulloch, 14, is the current UK Schools all-round champion and has already represented Great Britain’s junior team in South Africa, Hungary and Austria. Now he is aiming for international success at senior level, and Fef Griffin, director at Bearsted's Pegasus Gymastics Club - Tulloch's training base - believes his experience at the O2 can only stand him in good stead.
She told Kent News: “We made two club trips up there and some people went individually – Courtney was there pretty much all week. A real advantage of watching the World Championships is you get to see the confidence and the poise of the gymnasts, and what it’s like to compete in a big event.
“Courtney’s never had to use a podium (a three-foot high platform which the apparatus is set on so the spectators can see the action more clearly), and he will have to use them in the bigger competitions, so it was good for him to see them in use close-up.
“It’s difficult to say how good Courtney can be, because he’s just coming into teenage years. Within his age group he’s one of the best in the country and he’s got a coach (Romanian Lonut Trandaburu) who can take him to the very top. In 2012 he’ll just be 17, which is young for an Olympic male gymnast, but he’s in with a chance.”
Griffin believes hosting the World Championships in London was a masterstroke by Britain – a country not renowned for its forward-thinking when it comes to gymnastics - and said the trips to the O2 had given Pegasus gymnasts a real sense of belief and encouragement that they, too, can be among the next generation of British medal hopefuls.
“Britain has come on so far in the last 15 years,” she said. “From being ranked 22 in the world to now being in the top 10 is such a leap, and it’s no longer a case of ‘if we get a medal’ but ‘how many medals.’ People at Pegasus are now thinking it’s a real possibility for them to qualify and be challenging for medals.”
Tulloch, whose family moved from Basildon to Maidstone to be nearer the facilities at Pegasus, spends 26 hours a week training and is even home-schooled to accommodate his gymnastic commitments.
He is joined in the national squad by fellow all-rounder James Hall. The two share not only a birthday, but the same passion and desire for success on the big stage and with the experience of watching their heroes at close quarters, the pair are now well-equipped to join them and put Kent on the gymnastics map.
POSTED: 26/10/2009 08:00:00
Bookmark with:
Email to a friend: