It’s just three weeks until the World Gymnastics Championships begin in Liverpool’s M&S Bank Arena and European silver medallist Alice Kinsella is raring to go.
It has been a fantastic year so far for Britain’s gymnasts, and Alice will be joining the young quartet of Jessica and Jennifer Gadirova, Ondine Achampong and Georgia-Mae Fenton once more in an unchanged female team, following a successful European Championships in Munich in August.
For Kinsella, the last 18 months have certainly been impressive, as she added European all-around silver to her medal collection, alongside two Commonwealth golds and Olympic team bronze.
The 21-year-old said: “I’m really excited to get out there at World’s and alongside the rest of the team too. Since the European’s [Championships] we have all become so much closer and I’m just so ready to show the world what myself and this amazing team can do.”
This won’t be Kinsella’s first World Championships, but it will certainly be a special one as she’ll be competing in front of a home crowd – something she relished during this summer’s Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.
She added: “Being able to do it all over again with the same team, but this time in Liverpool means a lot. We will also be lucky enough to have all our friends and family watching in person, from the stadium too. I’m just super excited.
“Having the Championships in our home country also means more little ones can be there in the stadium to watch. One of my main goals in my career is to inspire the next generation, so knowing that there are youngsters watching in person will definitely be more inspiring for us gymnasts.”
The World Championships in Liverpool will also double up as qualification for Paris 2024 Olympic Games, and after huge success among the British gymnasts at the Commonwealth Games, we really will see the world’s best battling it out for those automatic qualification spots.
Kinsella said: “There are a few countries that are right up there amongst the medals at the moment, USA, Italy, China and France.
“But as Great Britain, our main aim will be a team medal. We would love a team medal. But also, on an individual level, I would like to make the all-around final and the beam final as well. But it is important to stay focused in the gym for now and just see what happens.
“Anything can happen in gymnastics; you could do so many routines really well, but you never know what could happen on the day. You just have to say focussed. I focus on my breathing and think about all the hard work I have put in at training.”
The World Gymnastics Championships Liverpool 2022 will be one of the largest international sporting events ever to be held in the city. 550 gymnasts from 75 countries will compete at the M&S Bank Arena from 29 October to 6 November 2022. Tickets are available from £10 at www.2022worldgymnastics.com/tickets.
