Nush (british-gymnastics.org, 16 May 2012)

Athlete, Coach, Manager, Media Professional, Stuntperson

English - University of California Los Angeles [UCLA]: United States

Partner Elliott Reid

English

Heathrow Gymnastics Club : Great Britain

Vince Walduck [club]

She suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in her left knee in the build-up to the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. She still competed at the Games. (intlgymnast.com, 26 Aug 2021)

She began gymnastics at age five at Coventry Olympic Gymnastic Club in England.

She was inspired after watching Russian gymnast Elena Zamolodchikova on television at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney. Her father Tebby initially enrolled her in a gymnastics club to burn off her excess energy, but soon realised that she was serious about the sport and wanted to make a career out of it. "I started gymnastics when I was five, and when I was six years old, I saw my first Olympics, which was Sydney 2000, and I was like, that's what I want to do."

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She trains 16 hours a week.

Competing at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. (intlgymnast.com, 26 Aug 2021)

US gymnast Nastia Liukin, Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt. (jamaica-gleaner.com, 26 Oct 2019)

Coach Natalia Ilienko-Jarvis. (jamaica-gleaner.com, 26 Oct 2019)

"You have one life to live, don't live with regrets." (intlgymnast.com, 20 Mar 2019)

RETIREMENT PLAN
She plans to end her career after competing at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England. "The Commonwealth Games are coming up in 2022 and hopefully I can have my friends and family supporting me there. To be able to finish up in gymnastics in front of everyone I love, in the Jamaican colours at a big event would be such a fairytale ending to my career." (newsweek.com, 30 Jul 2021)

BREAK AND RETURN
She took a break from the sport in mid-2016 after graduating from the University of California Los Angeles [UCLA] in the United States of America. She spent time coaching gymnastics and working in the media industry. In September 2017 she decided to return to the sport. "I was enjoying retirement and didn't think about training but there was one particular week where everyone was asking me if I could consider the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. I didn't want to look back in 10 years time and think what if. I graduated on a high from UCLA and it just seemed the natural thing to do was retire from the sport but I wasn't injured, I still loved the sport. I emailed my coaches at Heathrow [Gymnastics Club] and they were very supportive and so was my family and friends so I thought why not, I don't want to have any regrets." (olympics.com, 23 Jul 2021; coventrytelegraph.net, 20 Oct 2019; flogymnastics.com, 25 Oct 2017)

REPRESENTING JAMAICA
She was born in Coventry, England, to a Jamaican father and Polish mother. She originally represented Great Britain in artistic gymnastics, including at the European and world championships. In 2015 she began representing Jamaica. "I have dual citizenship. My dads' side of the family is Jamaican. I competed for Great Britain until I was 19. Great Britain have got competitive over the years and I would have to come back to the UK to do trials. That was not feasible for me while studying in the United States so I looked into the idea for competing for Jamaica. I have always been a huge [Jamaican sprinter] Usain Bolt fan so while I was able to make this a reality, I went for it. Gymnastics is a fairly new sport there so each time we step out we are inspiring lots of young gymnasts. While considering Jamaica, I also had the opportunity to represent Poland because my mother is Polish, however, it was the Usain Bolt factor that really got me." (intlgymnast.com, 26 Aug 2021; thebigkickoff.com, 15 Jul 2020; torontocaribbean.com, 30 Oct 2019; coventrytelegraph.net, 20 Oct 2019; british-gymnastics.org, 20 Oct 2015)

BODY IMAGE
She says she had just realised that female gymnasts were allowed to wear long-legged bodysuits when she watched German women's gymnastics team wearing them at the 2021 European Championships in Basel, Switzerland. "When it comes to sexism and what gymnasts are allowed to wear, the men can wear their longs and shorts and cover up a bit more. But it was like this unwritten rule that we had to wear leotards. And obviously we know now we are allowed to cover up as well because the German women's team brought that to people's attention, but I didn't know that was in the rule book and I have been a gymnast for years. Women in gymnastics face more pressure in terms of body image and the perception you have to wear a leotard 100 percent contributes to that. I also hate to be on my period during a competition, because there is that fear of your tampon string hanging out of that thin bit of material. So I would use, and do use, my birth control pills during a competition to control that, and make sure I'm not on my period. Maybe, given the opportunity to wear a full body suit before, I would have just accepted my period and worn something different." (newsweek.com, 30 Jul 2021)

SOCIAL MEDIA
She says social media helped her bond with her fel