Berkshire gymnast wins team Bronze at the Olympics
18-year-old Amelie Morgan is from Slough
Great Britain claimed a first women’s team gymnastics medal since 1928 as they delivered an extraordinary bronze at the Tokyo Olympics.
The team included Slough gymnast 18-year-old Amelie Morgan, along with Alice Kinsella, and 16-year-old twins Jennifer and Jessica Gadirova.
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.
Biles misjudged her opening vault, scoring 13.766, the lowest of the first rotation, before leaving the floor briefly with the US team trainer.
Although the 24-year-old returned, she put on her tracksuit and did not compete again as the Americans finished second.
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 spectacular vindication of the British team’s selection policy, which was racked with controversy over the decision to omit former world medallist Becky Downie.
About Amelie
Starting gymnastics at the age of seven with Slough Gymnastics club, Morgan was home schooled in order to fit in her 35-hour weekly training schedule.
As a junior, she excelled, claiming two silvers at the 2018 European Championships junior event, and also won two silvers at the 2018 Youth Olympic Games in the all-around and on the floor, and bronze on the balance beam.
Amelie was able to make her senior debut a year later, winning gold in the all-around at the English Championships, and bronze in the all-around, uneven bars, and balance beam at the British Championships.
She has had a tough time with injuries, missing out on the 2019 World Championships and 2020 American Cup, but did perform exceptionally well in the European Championships earlier this year where she claimed bronze in the uneven bars, and fourth on the balance beam and all-around.