Gravesend's Georgia-Mae Fenton puts qualifying fall behind her with assured display as Great Britain's women win team silver at World Gymnastics Championships
Published: 19:05, 02 November 2022
Updated: 19:07, 02 November 2022
Georgia-Mae Fenton banished her beam demons to bank an early birthday present and help Great Britain to a historic World Championship silver in Liverpool.
The Gravesend ace suffered a fall on the apparatus in qualifying but held her nerve in Tuesday evening’s showpiece as the hosts recorded their best-ever result at this event.
Fenton, Jessica Gadirova, Jennifer Gadirova, Ondine Achampong and Alice Kinsella secured Britain a quota place at the 2024 Olympics in Paris by virtue of their performance at the M&S Bank Arena as they finished behind only the USA, who won a record-breaking sixth consecutive gold.
“It was amazing,” said Fenton, who turned 22 on Wednesday. “I couldn’t be happier with all the girls.
“We pushed until the end, supported each other and to come out with a world silver is surreal.
“I was really nervous. I was happy to be put up on beam but there’s a lot of pressure to stay on.
"I’m pleased and proud that I trusted my training, stuck to it and didn’t fall over on the dismount like the other day.”
Britain were competing alongside favourites USA in the showpiece and kept the crowd gripped as they went toe-to-toe with their star-studded transatlantic rivals.
Fenton was part of two rotations and excelled on uneven bars, in addition to beam, as she added a first World Championship medal to her collection at the fifth attempt.
She is proud to be part of a quintet who are an ever-growing force on the world stage and earmarked their team spirit as a crucial ingredient in their success.
“We trust and support each other,” she said. “We know each other so well.
“We know how to get each other out of a bad mood and into a good one. We really trust each other and it’s something like no other, it’s hard to describe.”
Fenton’s third team medal of 2022 was her second on home turf following Commonwealth gold in Birmingham and she hailed the impact of the fans on Merseyside.
“We’ve been in front of a home crowd twice this year and both times have been the best we could ever ask for,” she added.
The World Gymnastics Championships Liverpool 2022 will be one of the largest international sporting events ever to be held in the city. Over 500 gymnasts from more than 70 countries will compete at the M&S Bank Arena from 29 October to 6 November 2022. Tickets are available at www.2022worldgymnastics.com/tickets
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KentOnline reporter