Olympian Beth Tweddle MBE , in Telford to inspire students.
Beth was talking to students at Telford College, about her life experiences and how that can inspire others.
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00:00 It's Beth, hello Beth Olympian, how are you doing?
00:02 Good morning, I'm good thank you.
00:04 And we're here at Telford College today, what's the purpose of the visit Beth?
00:07 It's kind of motivational speaking, is that right?
00:10 It is, obviously they've got their exams coming up,
00:12 so just kind of coming in trying to motivate them ahead of their exams.
00:17 Just they've done all the hard work now and it's a case of go out there and show them what you can do.
00:22 And how did you do in your exams at school?
00:25 My GCSEs weren't too bad, my A-levels probably weren't as good as I was hoping.
00:30 Yeah, and did your gymnastics start when you were at school then?
00:34 Yeah, so I started gymnastics when I was seven, it was actually a club external to the school.
00:40 I was very sporty, loved doing sport in school,
00:43 but my gymnastics career was very much away from school.
00:47 Yeah, and I guess the world of sport, I guess that's taught you a certain amount of discipline
00:52 that you can pass on to other kids, even if it's not related to sport, but like crossover skills.
00:57 Yeah, I think the one thing I've realised since retiring from the sport is,
01:01 yes, gymnastics taught me how to do some cool tricks,
01:05 and obviously I won some medals along the way,
01:07 but actually the skill sets that I've picked up doing sport,
01:10 so whether it's teamwork, how to work together, how it's time management,
01:15 prioritising things, discipline, determination, resilience,
01:20 there's so many different things that you can learn from doing sport,
01:24 whether that's at an elite level or whether that's at a recreational level.
01:28 Yeah, and when you're in amongst these youngsters,
01:30 are you sitting there thinking, "I wish I was 16 again"
01:33 or are you thinking, "You know what, I'm glad I've done all that bit"?
01:36 Yeah, I mean, do you know what, every phase of your life you face different challenges,
01:41 and obviously when I was at their age I was full-time training and also full-time education,
01:47 and I loved both elements, so trying to combine the both was,
01:50 it was difficult, but I wanted to succeed,
01:53 and obviously now I've got two young children and a family life,
01:57 and fitting that around work and being a mum, that's a completely different challenge.
02:02 I had a phone call to say you need to go to London, and I was kind of like, "Why?"
02:07 And they were like, "You're torn in your meniscus and you need surgery tomorrow."
02:10 Now, 100 days out from the Olympic Games,
02:13 the last thing you want to hear from an athlete is you need an operation,
02:16 and I don't quite often, Beijing was one of them,
02:20 and that night I just thought, "How can I work 20 years to not even get the opportunity to try?"
02:27 So I spoke to my coach and she said, "Look, we'll do everything we can
02:31 to get you back on that field of play ready for the Olympics."
02:34 So I had the surgery the next day, an hour after I woke up I'd started my rehab programme,
02:40 I'd gone from two weeks out from the Europeans to not even being able to walk,
02:45 and thinking I've got 99 days to get ready for an Olympic Games.
02:49 But again, going back to that support network, everyone rallied around me.
02:54 My mum took me down to London to have the operation,
02:57 my friends were texting me, had gifts and stuff when I arrived back,
03:02 and they are the people that got me through that moment,
03:07 and every second was worth it when I got that selection letter to go to London.
03:12 And I don't think any athlete who was part of Team GB really anticipated the support
03:17 we were going to get when we turned up to that Olympics.
03:20 The banners, the noise, the volunteers, just the whole atmosphere of London
03:27 was absolutely incredible, and I am so glad I said,
03:32 "I would wish I would try rather than..."
03:35 I would try rather than I wish I tried, because I would have been
03:38 gutted if I sat in that audience and thought, "I really wish I tried."
03:42 Going into that stadium, hearing that buzz, hearing that noise,
03:46 knowing that you've done all the hard work and there's nothing else you can do about it,
03:50 it's just what happens on the day.
03:52 I got through to the final, and on that moment, I'm walking into the stadium,
03:57 and we have a black scoreboard, and it turns your name green when it's ready for your turn.
04:04 And all I could think before I presented to the judges was, "You've got 30 seconds."
04:10 20 years of training, and I've got 30 seconds to prove myself.
04:16 So I did my routine, landed my dismount, not only did I take one step, I took three.
04:22 So in my head, that's my Olympic dream gone again.
04:25 I came off the podium, and my coach said to me,
04:29 "If I gave you the opportunity to stand there and do that routine again,
04:32 would you?"
04:33 Well, I said, "No."
04:34 She said, "That's all I can ask.
04:35 I can only ever ask you to do your best, and we'll just have to wait it out."
04:39 School came up, sat in second.
04:41 I thought, "Okay, great."
04:42 Still got three gymnasts to go.
04:44 Next gymnast goes, pushed me into third.
04:46 Not looking so great now.
04:49 Next gymnast goes, leaves me there in third, and the final gymnast to go was Gabrielle Douglas.
04:56 Now, if you're not a gymnastics fan, she was 16 years old, from Team USA.
05:01 She'd already won the team gold.
05:03 She'd already won the individual gold.
05:05 I was 27, no Olympic medal.
05:09 I just thought, "Come on, do us a little favor.
05:11 Have a look and see, and hopefully I can win a medal."
05:14 She did a routine, and if you're not a gymnastics fan, you wouldn't even have noticed there
05:20 was a small error.
05:21 Now, the whole of the British team had big smiles on their face, but I've got cameras
05:26 all on me, obviously wanting to see what my reaction is to that routine.
05:31 Obviously, I have to just sit there straight-faced until the result comes up.
05:35 When that result comes up, it left me in third.
05:37 Everyone says, "What's that first reaction?"
05:41 The honest answer, relief.
05:42 Obviously, there was joy, but it was relief that I finally achieved what I wanted to achieve,
05:49 from that seven-year-old all the way through to winning that Olympic medal.
05:53 Not only for myself, talking about that support network around you, your parents, your family,
05:59 your friends, your coach, the Federation, everyone that has supported me from that seven-year-old
06:05 all the way through.
06:06 Now, I know you guys are embarking on your exams, deadlines, et cetera, coming up.
06:12 The one thing I'd love you to take away from that is you've done all the hard work.
06:16 I know you've probably been through the peaks and the troughs to get into this week, knowing
06:22 that you've got your exams or your deadlines coming up, but just have faith in yourselves.
06:27 You've done all the hard work.
06:29 Now, you've just got to go and enjoy the moment.
06:30 Make the most of that support network around you, whether it is whoever you live with at
06:35 home or your teammates/classmates, your teachers.
06:40 They're all there for you to help you through that last few moments.
06:44 I've just been told you finish at the end of June, so you get a lovely two-month break
06:48 as well.
06:48 Last little bit, and then you get a couple of weeks off.
06:53 After that Olympics, my couple of weeks off was, "What's my next challenge?"
06:58 I got a phone call to try dancing on ice.
07:03 Now, I'd never ice skated in my life, and I thought, "Why not?
07:07 Might as well give it a try."
07:08 And do you know what?
07:09 It was one of the best things I did because I needed something else to focus on.
07:14 I needed to know who I was away from sport, from a seven-year-old up until kind of 28.
07:21 All I'd ever known was education and sport.
07:24 And if I was thinking about retiring, who was I going to be?
07:28 What was my identity?
07:30 Because all I ever introduced myself as was an international athlete.