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Louis Smith and Dan Purvis inducted into British Gymnastics Hall of Fame
January 28, 2020News
Louis Smith MBE and Dan Purvis have been inducted into the British Gymnastics Hall of Fame at the 2020 British Gymnastics National Awards in Telford last weekend.
The Hall of Fame is the ultimate award within the British Gymnastics awards list, celebrating the outstanding achievements of British gymnasts on the highest international stage; the culture of self-belief, tenacity and enthusiasm which they have shown, and their ability to inspire.
Smith, from Huntingdon, is one of Britain’s greatest ever gymnasts. A master of the pommel horse, he won 15 medals at major championships during an illustrious career in the sport. Four of those medals came at the Olympic Games. At the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Smith made history. A stunning pommel routine secured Olympic bronze, and saw Louis become the first British gymnast in 100 years to win an individual medal at the Games. He then went on to win back-to-back silver medals on pommel horse at the next two Olympics, as well as helping the team to win a historic bronze medal at the London Games.
During a hugely successful career, Louis, from Huntingdon, also won honours at senior European and world championships, including becoming European champion in 2015.
Louis was unable to attend the evening, but Paul Hall, Louis’ personal coach when he was competing and current National Head Coach, accepting the award on his behalf, said:
To have been there at the start with Louis, to have helped take this young kid to the 2004 European Championships was a privilege. He created probably the most important thing he could have created when he was competing, which was a belief that we as British gymnasts could win. He really started something in this country.
Known for his incredible consistency and ability to perform at his best on the world stage, Dan Purvis, from Liverpool, won medals at Olympic, world, European, Commonwealth and British level during a decade at the very top of the sport. Dan retired from competitive gymnastics at the beginning of 2019 having been a mainstay of the British team ever since turning senior. At the 2012 Olympic Games in London, Dan was a pivotal part of the men’s artistic team that won a superb bronze medal. A brilliant all-around gymnast throughout his career, Dan competed on all apparatus in that final, topping the British scoring on floor to help secure bronze under immense pressure.
Dan won multiple individual honours too. A world floor bronze medal in 2010 was followed by all-around and apparatus medals at five separate European Championships, as well as winning medals for Team Scotland at consecutive Commonwealth Games.
After being inducted, Dan said:
It’s such a huge honour to be inducted in to the Hall of Fame. It feels like an unbelievable achievement and to now be in the Hall of Fame with the likes of Beth Tweddle MBE, Kristian Thomas and now Louis Smith as well, it’s something I’m really proud of. I’m truly in love with this sport and when I retired there was nothing else I thought about going in to. I’m now coaching, running my own recreational classes which is great. I’m also coaching at Southport Gymnastics Club where my old coach Jeff Brookes coaches, which is amazing. It’s all gymnastics related. It’s a totally different world to competing but it’s just as challenging and just as rewarding.
Text and photo courtesy of British Gymnastics
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