Bucks gymnasts and Beds dressage rider earn bronze at Tokyo Olympics
Twins Jennifer and Jessica Gadirova are from Aylesbury while Charlotte Dujardin is from Leighton Buzzard
Last updated 27th Jul 2021
Great Britain claimed a first women’s team gymnastics medal since 1928 as they delivered an extraordinary bronze at the Tokyo Olympics.
16-year-old twins Jennifer and Jessica Gadirova, from Aylesbury, form half of the quartet that has managed to earn the long awaited medal for womens gymnastics.
The team included Slough gymnast 18-year-old Amelie Morgan, along with Alice Kinsella who was born in Essex but lives in Birmingham.
The Britons totalled 164.096, with the Russian Olympic Committee taking gold and the US team settling for silver for the first time since 2008.
Simone Biles’ bid to claim her first Olympic gold medal of the Tokyo Games suffered a major setback as she was forced to withdraw after one rotation.
As the Americans battled to overhaul an imposing 2.500 deficit at the halfway stage, the inexperienced Britons continued to impress with a series of solid displays.
Mistakes from the teams ranked above them gradually raised the possibility of the young team matching their fifth place finish from Rio in 2016, which was their best result since 1928.
But even deep into the last rotation there was little indication of the drama yet to unfold, with a series of Italian vault scores suddenly catapulting the team onto the podium.
It was a vindication of the British team’s selection policy, which was racked with controversy over the decision to omit former world medallist Becky Downie.
Meanwhile, Charlotte Dujardin from Leighton Buzzard has claimed her 5th Olympic Medal today.
She earned a bronze in the team final alongside Carl Hester and Charlotte Fry.
The trio finished behind runners up the USA and the Olympic title holders Germany.
For Dujardin it means she has now equalled the Olympic medal total for a British woman, matching Dame Katherine Grainger's 5.
Charlotte won two Golds at London 2012 and then a Gold and Silver in Rio, however these were her first games without her her famed horse Valegro. Instead she is working with Gio.
This is also the the third successive team medal for GB in the sport.