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Meet tumbling twins Jessica & Jennifer Gadirova who want to go head over heels together for Team GB at Paris Olympics
THEY are the somersaulting sisters who want to go head over heels together in Paris next summer.
And while Jessica Gadirova will not have sibling Jennifer to turn to as she attempts to retain her world floor gymnastics title in Antwerp next week, the pair would love to share the Olympic podium once again.
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The tumbling twins from Aylesbury, normally joined at the proverbial hip, will be split up for a few days after injury issues ruled Jennifer out of action.
They have gone from playing Just Dance together on the family Wii to being among the finest gymnasts on the planet.
And the pair, who turn 19 next week and are part of Sun Sport’s SEINEsational Seven for Paris 2024, will head over the Channel knowing they have what it takes to really shine on the biggest stage.
Jess, who is favoured by many to add the world all-round title to her bulging medal collection, agreed: “One of the things coming up to this Olympics is we have a name for ourselves.
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“There is going to be more pressure because people assume things, that I could be the Olympic champion.
“In 2021 we were just two young girls who had made the Great Britain Olympic team but were just doing their gymnastics.
“But now it's the feeling we've got more to give.
“In Tokyo (where they were part of the GB team that took a surprise bronze) we didn’t have any pressure on us.
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“We just enjoyed the gymnastics. But that was in Covid, whereas there will be no restrictions in Paris. It’ll be a lot bigger than Tokyo.”
True, but, in terms of their reputations, the twins are a lot bigger too.
There is, though, still a starry-eyed innocence as they decide each morning who will do the short drive to training from their home round the corner from Aylesbury Vale Academy, where they completed BTecs in sports management and business.
Jennifer recalled: “When we got to Tokyo we were quite star-struck. For both of us it was ‘wow, we're actually at the Olympics’
“We saw Tom Daley and we were ‘is that actually him?’ so we didn’t want to approach him. “But then he came over to us and ‘oh, you're the women's team aren’t you? That's so cool. Can we get a picture with you guys?’
“It meant so much that we knew then he was really interested in us.”
Since Tokyo, both have made huge advances. That is despite training in a warehouse on the edge of the Buckinghamshire town while a class of mum and toddler Tumbletots is taking place a few feet away.
Jessica’s world floor triumph in Liverpool last year was added to the team silver she won with Jennifer, and an all-round bronze.
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Expectations are high for Team GB to have their greatest Olympics gymnastics performances of all-time - and plenty of that will fall on the slender shoulders of the twins.
Jessica admitted: “Standing on that podium with a gold medal is something you can imagine - but I'm just trying to not get ahead of myself.
“I must always stay humble, know where my roots are and not become too big-headed or be ‘I'm going to do this’.
“It's good to dream big and think that you want to be on the podium and achieve this medal but I don’t want to go over the top.
“If you dream too big and have a 100 per cent expectation that you will win, then if you don't it'll be more of a disappointment and heartbreak.
“So not putting yourself under that much pressure reduces the impact of sadness and disappointment.”
Jess Gadirova admits she could not be dreaming of Olympic success without the backing of the National Lottery.
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She said: “It's amazing and having this support definitely helps our sport and us as individuals.
“I appreciate everyone who plays a part in the National Lottery. It allows us to do the sport that we love for a living and carry on achieving these amazing things and focus on being the best we can be.”
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*National Lottery players raise more than £30million a week for good causes including vital funding into sport — from grassroots to elite. Find out how your numbers make amazing happen at #MakeAmazingHappen #ThanksToYou
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