It seems that artistic gymnastics in Great Britain is still involved in episodes that are difficult to isolate one from the other. In recent years, sporting successes have coexisted with accusations of mistreatment, the retirement of important athletes such as Ellie Downie and Amelie Morgan, and significant injuries suffered by notable gymnasts such as Jessica Gadirova and now also Ondine Achampong. The last shocking news came out yesterday, 24 hours before the start of the European Championship and less than three months before the Olympic Games: head coach David Kenwright, who had taken office in 2017 and was the coach of the Olympic team medal in Tokyo 2020, resigned.
According to BBC Sport, it was Kenwright’s decision to leave British Gymnastics. “We have achieved together goals that we can all be immensely proud of and that will have a positive and lasting impact on our sport,” the British Federation said in the announcement.
The coach, who led the quintet that won the first world silver in 2021, as well as the title in the European Championship in 2023, said: “I will miss everyone and wish them every success in the coming months and beyond.” His decision comes amid questioning over the serious injuries to two of the team’s stars, Jessica Gadirova and Ondine Achampong, who were left out of Paris 2024.
Kenwright caused controversy after the 2022 World Championship when, following the scandal over mistreatment and questionable methods in British gymnastics, he criticized “detractors” and spoke of “attacks on his professional and personal integrity”.
The head coach’s resignation isn’t the only important resignation of the week. The bronze medalist of Tokyo 2020 and the 2018 Youth Olympic Games, Amelie Morgan, who had recently returned to the United Kingdom from her university in the United States to train for Paris 2024, announced her retirement from elite gymnastics. Explaining her decision on Instagram, Morgan suggested that her time in the UK was not a happy one. “After my experience at home and returning to Utah and my team, in a supportive and caring environment, I found myself with a different perspective,” she confessed.
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