Twins pass test as they strut their stuff to show the future is bright
THE reality hit moments after the Gadirova twins had left the arena. ‘I haven’t really thought about my GCSE results,’ Jennifer said when asked what she was looking forward to doing when she got home. ‘I hope I’ve passed.’ It is easy to forget that Jennifer and Jessica, the Dublin-born daughters of Azerbaijani parents, are just 16. Because when they speak about their sport, the sparkling costumes and youthful smiles leap out of the nearest window, replaced by the battle-weary talk of Olympic veterans. Jessica, who finished sixth in the women’s floor final, asked if perhaps she could have done more, said: ‘My first tumble was a double-double, my second was a double straight and my third tumble was a straight front floor walkout into double tuck.’ Enough said. Jennifer, when quizzed on how she deals with the nerves in those silent seconds before the music starts, replied: ‘I’m a bit nervous but once it comes on — it’s have fun and smile. ‘Smiling takes away the worries. Once the music comes on it’s “Go, go, go”.’ And it was. These two may be young but they already have a trademark. When that music starts you know there will be joy and there will be flair.
There will also be a strut. That there was no crowd inside the Ariake Gymnastics Centre yesterday was a great shame. They would have been on the edge of their seats, they would have clapped along, they would have lapped it up. It was also disappointing that no audience was able to roar its approval following a stunning routine from Jade Carey. We thought that an American would win, we just did not think it would be the 21-year-old from Phoenix. In the absence of superstar Simone Biles, who will happily be back in action today, Carey took centre stage with a stunning yet elegant performance to score a winning 14.366 on what was a high-quality afternoon. Jessica landed 14.00 while Jennifer earned 13.233, both hampered by slight stumbles on first landings. Neither looked out of place among the elite, which in itself is an achievement. Regardless, their analysis was frank. ‘I did the best I could with my execution because I know my difficulty is not up there,’ said Jessica. ‘I can’t wait to get into
the gym and work on that.’ Jennifer added: ‘My tumbles weren’t the greatest but I danced well. I’m a bit gutted about that.’ There is much to like about the Aylesbury teenagers, who came here for the experience but will walk through arrivals at Heathrow with bronze medals round their necks from the team event. You sense, however, that the memories will be more important than the metal. That they will learn from this. That this will not be anything like the final chapter. ‘I just wanted to enjoy the experience,’ said Jessica. ‘I’m an Olympian. I’m a bronze medallist. But there is still so much I can do. I am still young, there is time.’ Her sister, who finished seventh, was unsurprisingly on the same page. ‘I am looking forward to getting back in the gym and improving my execution and difficulty,’ she said, matter of factly. ‘A lot of the others are older and have had the time to upgrade. We’re still getting there.’ In three years’ time in Paris they should not be far off.