British Women Top Brazilians in Pre-Worlds Match

Beth Tweddle

Seven-time British champion Beth Tweddle had the highest score on three of the four events, as well as the all-around, to lead her team to a 1.150 victory over Brazil. Tweddle, the 2006 world champion on uneven bars, earned the highest score of the competition (16.600) on her specialty.

Brazil's Jade Barbosa, who last month placed first on vault and fourth all-around at the Pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro, finished second to Tweddle (58.550). Her Brazilian teammate, Ana Claudia Silva, placed third with 57.200.

Individual event winners in Sunday's finals were Barbosa on vault, Tweddle on uneven bars, Laura Jones (Great Britain) on balance beam, and Silva on floor exercise.

Both teams are in their final stages of preparation for the World Championships that will take place Sept. 1-9 in Stuttgart. The top 12 teams will qualify for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.

At the 2006 World Championships, held in Aarhus, Denmark, the British team placed 11th and the Brazilian team placed seventh. In the all-around, Tweddle was eighth, and Brazil's Daniele Hypolito (who placed sixth in Ipswich) was 21st.

Brazil's Lais Souza finished fifth all-around in preliminaries in Aarhus, but withdrew from the all-around final because of a foot injury.

The British Amateur Gymnastics Association also announced its women's and men's teams for Stuttgart. Each team includes seven gymnasts, six of whom will compete in Stuttgart. The seventh gymnast will be designated as the alternate at a later date.

Representing the British women will be Hannah Clowes, Rebecca Downie, Laura Jones, Marissa King, Beth Tweddle, Rebecca Wing and Aisling Williams.

The British men's team consists of Ryan Bradley, Ross Brewer, Luke Folwell, Daniel Keatings, Danny Lawrence, Louis Smith and Kristian Thomas.

Great Britain vs. Brazil
Pipers Vale, Ipswich, England; August 18-19, 2007

Team
1. Great Britain 229.800
2. Brazil 228.650

All-Around
1. Beth Tweddle GBR 61.100
2. Jade Barbosa BRA 58.550
3. Ana Claudia Silva BRA 57.200
4. Khiuani Dias BRA 56.950
5. Hannah Clowes GBR 56.425
6. Daniele Hypolito BRA 55.600
7. Laura Jones GBR 55.250
8. Aisling Williams GBR 55.225
9. Juliana Santos BRA 54.000

also:
Marissa King GBR 41.700 - 3 events
Beckie Downie GBR 40.900 - 3 events
Lais Souza BRA 13.650 - 1 event

International Gymnast Magazine Related Features
"Early Graduation Day" - Keatings profile (July/August 2007)
Souza center poster (May 2007)
"Building Brazil" - Brazilian team cover story (March 2007)
Tweddle on cover (January/February 2007)
"British Loyalty" - Williams and Brewer profiles (January/February 2007)
"Ready For Anything" - Tweddle profile (March 2002)
"Against All Odds" - Hypolito cover story (February 2002)

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