Amy Tinkler, who won a bronze medal at the 2016 Olympic Games, has announced her retirement from competitive gymnastics.
Tinkler was the youngest member of Team GB in Rio when aged just 16, and finished third in the floor exercise behind American duo Simone Biles and Aly Raisman.
Following Beth Tweddle, her achievement saw Tinkler become only the second British woman to win an Olympic gymnastics medal and the first on the floor.
— Amy Tinkler OLY (@amytinkler2) January 15, 2020
The 20-year-old said in a statement: “When one door closes, another one opens. Thank you to the gymnastics community, you’ve been my whole life and this is not goodbye.
“In the short term, I’m excited to try new opportunities, especially in an Olympic year like this one where I know Team GB will again capture the nation’s attention by delivering a fantastic performance in Tokyo.”
Tinkler was also part of the British squad which won team bronze at the 2015 World Championship in Glasgow and went on to claim the individual title at the 2016 British Championships.
Olympic bronze medallist @amytinkler2 has announced her retirement from competitive gymnastics. We would like to wish her all the best of luck for the future! 🍀👏🌟 pic.twitter.com/BrasToJrIw — British Gymnastics (@BritGymnastics) January 15, 2020
Tinkler’s post-Rio career was overshadowed by a difficult departure from her childhood club in Spennymoor, and a trio of ankle surgeries.
She returned just seven weeks after her first procedure to finish 17th in the all-around final at the World Championships in Montreal in 2017, before further complications sidelined her again.
British Gymnastics said in a post on Twitter: “We would like to wish her all the best of luck for the future.”
