GIRL POWER!
Gadirova twins urge youngsters to find a sport they love and say: You can do anything if you put your mind to it!
AS the curtain falls on a historic summer of British sport, there is one phrase on the lips of both Gadirova twins: ‘girl power’. Expanding that slightly, it has been a year to remember for teenage British girls. There’s the obvious example of Emma Raducanu, the 18-year-old who won the US Open against all odds. But before Raducanu, there were the Gadirovas. Alongside Alice Kinsella and Amelie Morgan, Jessica and Jennifer helped unexpectedly secure Britain’s first Olympic medal in team gymnastics since 1928. ‘Girls can do anything they want if they put their minds to it — this summer shows that,’ says Jennifer, distinguishable by introduction only as she sits to her twin’s left. ‘Girl power is great. This Olympics saw more women in the GB team than men. It shows that we have more power than ever.’ They rallied to come from behind to nab the artistic team bronze medal in Tokyo, more medals for teenage girls of Britain after 13-year-old Sky Brown’s skateboarding third-place. What pleased the girls more was that these stars thrived in sports that are not stereotypically female disciplines, such as skateboarding and tennis. ‘People reading this stuff will get younger girls to say, “Actually, I can do that as well, I can succeed in sport”,’ says Jessica. ‘Girls will think that certain sports like football or skateboarding are more for men and boys so they’ll think they can’t do it. But seeing younger girls do it will inspire younger kids to get into things with no barriers of gender.’ Jennifer is quick to interrupt. ‘It’s not only about girls, though,’ she says. ‘For our sport, gymnastics, people will think it’s a very girly sport. But anyone can do our sport if they want to, you just need courage to do it.’ The twins turned 17 last weekend and admit that winning anything at Tokyo was beyond their wildest dreams, with Paris 2024 the main aim for podium places.
Their Olympic odyssey has been accelerated tenfold in the last few months but both are keen to stress this was years in the making and started in grassroots venues such as Aylesbury Gymnastics Academy, their local club. ‘When we were younger we were very energetic and played around with many different things,’ says Jennifer. ‘We started when we were five years old and got into many different sports, but we fell in love with gymnastics. ‘We used to just keep jumping on stuff and doing cartwheels everywhere.’ Jessica adds: ‘To be honest, we never had an idol in gymnastics that got us into it, we just loved it as a sport. We knew the Olympics existed but never thought we could get there. We just tried to be our best every day and get better.’ After the Olympics, the twins went on a short family holiday and then got straight back into their training regime, after excelling in their GCSE results. Their next aim is the World Championships and Commonwealth Games, with a bold eye on Paris 2024. Not much has changed in terms of their
training programme, but a trip out is now usually greeted with someone recognising them. ‘After the Games we had a load of fun opportunities — we got to do Blue Peter, we went to the James Bond premiere last week, and the Team GB homecoming,’ says Jessica. ‘It’s been very exciting. ‘People stop us on the streets now. Even if we’re not in our home city, people still recognise us and it’s so different now.’ So, after being inspired by Tokyo, what advice would the twins have for budding sportspeople? ‘I would say take each step as it comes and don’t put any pressure on yourself to make it,’ says Jessica. ‘We have always done it as a hobby. We just tried to enjoy every session, be our best every day and get better. ‘We were then inspired by Simone Biles and she is the best gymnast so far. It was an honour to be with her in Tokyo.’ Jennifer adds: ‘I just liked to do it for fun. I would tell kids to enjoy it. If you don’t love doing it then you won’t succeed or achieve much from it. It is pointless if you are forcing yourself to do it. There is something out there for everyone to enjoy and be very successful in.’ l British Gymnastics has recently launched a new innovative recreational programme — Rise Gymnastics. The sessions encourage gymnasts to build key foundation skills in an immersive and creative way. See www.britishgymnastics.org/riserunway.