2016 British Olympic GYM Team selected

♦ Men’s artistic gymnastics.
Triple Olympic medallist Louis Smith MBE competes in his third Games, with World pommel horse world champion Max Whitlock and 2015 European floor champion Kristian Thomas all fellow London 2012 team bronze medal winners in the line-up.  Nile Wilson and Brinn Bevan were both part of the historic 2015 World Championships team that took silver and make their Olympic debuts.
• Men’s Head National Coach, Eddie Van Hoof: “The Olympic Games selection period is always a difficult time for all. I commend athletes, coaches and judges for their tremendous efforts. Now that this process has been completed, we can focus on the challenge ahead. We have a team that blends great experience with youth, which aims to set new levels of performance on the Olympic stage. We focus on each day, taking each step toward this goal.  Excitement is tempered with realism for the task facing us. I am confident that this team will stand up to the challenge ahead.“
→ Max Whitlock said:  “I'm honoured to be selected to represent Team GB. It'll be my first time ever going to Rio so I can't wait. For me I try to look at it like any other competition. I want to go there, enjoy experience and do my best. That's the main thing. The results that we have got behind us as a team, gives us a lot of confidence and hopefully we can all have successful competitions out in Rio.”

♦ Women’s artistic gymnastics.
The Downie sisters Becky (2008 Olympian) and Ellie become the first British gymnastics sisters to compete together in an Olympic Games. Becky the 2016 European bars champion competed at Beijing whilst for Ellie, the 2016 vault and floor European silver medallist, this is her first Games. British all-around champion Claudia Fragapane and World Championships team bronze medal winners Ruby Harrold and Amy Tinkler complete the line-up.
• Women’s Head National Coach, Amanda Reddin: “We have selected a team of gymnasts who have experience at the very top level. All the of team members were part of our line-up that made history by taking World Championship team bronze in 2015 and we have continued with further successes at this year’s European Championships - so we go in to the Games full of confidence. The balance of the line-up means we have a strong team set up and also individual chances for success.  The priority now is to fine tune the routines in the next four weeks as we build up to Rio.”

→ Becky Downie said: “I’m really, really excited and pleased to be selected. I can’t wait to get out there now; all of the team have worked so hard and are so excited. For me personally it was a big decision to carry on for this Olympic cycle but I knew I had more to give and feel like I’ve proved that. Being part of Team GB is amazing, we’re so excited to get our kit, to be in Rio, to see all the other athletes and be on that Olympic stage.”

♦ 2016 British Olympic Trampoline gymnasts are  ...

♦♦ The Games
Competitions will take place in men’s and women’s artistic gymnastics, trampoline and rhythmic gymnastics. British Gymnastics have qualified full men’s and women’s artistic gymnastics teams (5 per team), two places for Team GB in the women’s trampoline event and one in the men's event.
For Team GB the gymnastics events begin on the 6th of August with our men’s team in qualifying action and end on the 16th August with the men’s parallel bars and horizontal bars finals and women’s floor final. There are medals on offer for both individuals and teams in artistic gymnastics and individuals in the trampoline events.
At the last Olympic Games in London, Team GB picked up four Olympic medals with our men’s artistic team taking bronze, Louis Smith winning silver and Max Whitlock bronze on the pommel horse and Beth Tweddle taking the bronze on the uneven bars.

♦♦ British Olympic records
Overall, the number of British medals to date is eight, consisting of two silver and six bronze medals, from five Olympic Games and breaks down as follows:

2012 London - Bronze      - Men’s team
         Silver     - Louis Smith   - pommel
         Bronze  - Max Whitlock - pommel
         Bronze  - Beth Tweddle  - uneven bars
2008 Beijing
        - Bronze - Louis Smith - pommel

1928 Amsterdam - Bronze - Women’s team
1912 Stockholm  - Bronze - Men’s team
1908 London       - Silver - Walter Tysall - all-around
* source: British Gymnastics