A Little Effort Reaps Large Rewards
Four years ago the thought of competing at the Olympic Games “scared” Emily Little, while Ashleigh Brennan had hung up her leotards.
On Day 6 the pair finished among the top 20 all-around women’s gymnasts in the world.
Little, 18, the baby of the Australian gymnastics team, finished 15th in the women’s all-around final (55.765 points) in her first Olympic campaign, while dual Olympian Brennan, 21, was 20th (55.332) with performances they hope will inspire a whole new generation of young gymnasts in Australia.
Both were excited about the chance to compete again on the Olympic stage at North Greenwich Arena after the Australian team missed a place in the team’s final.
Little was thrilled to improve her qualifying scores on all four apparatus (floor 13.3, vault 14.866, uneven bars 13.933, beam 13.666); while Brennan showed great character to put a stumble on her vault landing behind her and finish strongly on the beam (floor 14.166, vault 13.233, uneven bars 13.533, beam 14.4).
West Australian Institute of Sport based Little said she thoroughly enjoyed her first Olympic Games which proved to be nowhere near as daunting as she imagined it would be four years ago.
“I was talking to my coach (Martine George) today during the competition and I told her that I remembered watching the Olympics in 2008 on TV and I was thinking how scary it was,” she said.
“It’s overwhelming thinking about it but to be honest it’s like any other competition when you are performing.”
Victorian-based Brennan, who was one of the gymnasts that Little watched on television in 2008, left the Beijing Games thinking they would be her last Olympics, but she is glad she changed her mind.
“Since Beijing I have matured as an athlete,” she said.
“I said after Beijing that was it and I had a little bit of a rest from gymnastics. I had seven months off then watched a competition and I knew I missed it.
“I’m really glad I came back. It was really exciting to be out there tonight and have another chance to compete in an arena like this. It was amazing.”
Little’s coach Martine George said she was really happy with the performance of both girls who talked about their Olympic campaign helping them to be role models for young girl gymnasts in Australia.
“Technically Emily improved all her qualifying scores and to finish 15th is an awesome ranking,” George said.
“Ashleigh nailing the beam was really sweet. We all knew she had that inside of her.
“Now it’s time for the girls to support Lauren Mitchell (floor final on day eleven), debrief and reflect on the last four years and have a little time out.
“I hope that Emily sticks with it because the best is yet to come. She is a super talented gymnast and I would love to have her in the gym for another four years.”