British MAG and WAG thread 2026

[ArnoldRimmer]

Has she trained vault at all since her 2 shoulder surgeries in 2025?

TBH I was surprised at her doing 3 events.

Not to my knowledge, and same re floor. But she did compete it a few times last quad and was good for a 12ish, so perhaps makes sense she's brought it back.

Re Alice, is this the soonest postpartum competitive comeback we know of in the sport? Chusovitina did Sydney when her baby was 10 months, and I assume that wasn't her first competition, but couldn't find any records. Aliya's was 10 months, I think?

 

[rlayt]

That’s phenomenal so soon after giving birth.

 

[Sasha]

Absolutely remarkable. And I'm so happy to see her back.

 

[Ms Motts]

Becky Downie is making a case for herself with that bar score, her beam placing and a floor score that (relative to the field) says ‘solid fallback option’.

 

[RichardL]

Is Euros the big goal here for the top gymnasts?

 

[KathySantoni]

Becky Downie is making a case for herself with that bar score, her beam placing and a floor score that (relative to the field) says ‘solid fallback option’.

I love that she’s still in the picture. Out of curiosity, is she eligible to represent another country? Her hit ratio isn’t great but if she competed for a country where she is guaranteed worlds spot in hen her 50/50 game is bound to pay off.

 

[Gymfan93]

Is Euros the big goal here for the top gymnasts?

There is also CWG, which I suspect is an aim for a lot of the Welsh and Scottish gymnasts.

 

[Gymfan93]

I love that she’s still in the picture. Out of curiosity, is she eligible to represent another country? Her hit ratio isn’t great but if she competed for a country where she is guaranteed worlds spot in hen her 50/50 game is bound to pay off.

No idea, but a very high % of British people have recent enough Irish ancestry. If she happened to have an Irish grandparent, she could be eligible from that route.

 

[Sanzhirovka]

Aha

 

[ArnoldRimmer]

I love that she’s still in the picture. Out of curiosity, is she eligible to represent another country? Her hit ratio isn’t great but if she competed for a country where she is guaranteed worlds spot in hen her 50/50 game is bound to pay off.

No idea whether she has other eligibility, but I'm not sure Becky would do well in an individual system. Her TF record is actually really strong. One fall on beam at 2016 Euros, and I can't recall if she's ever come off bars at all. She does much worse when it's just her.

Is Euros the big goal here for the top gymnasts?

Hard to say. CWG and Euros are close together, but it would be possible to do both for the MAG in particular. There's a fortnight between the end of CWG and the start of WAG Euros, then the men are after.

The WAG A team are still quite up in the air, but I know Ruby has said she wants to do CWG. I'd assume the Welsh A squad all do. As a broad general rule, the non-England athletes probably place a higher value on CWG than the English ones do in the event of an either/or. The Welsh athletes also look more ready at this point. Most of the top English WAGs are still somewhat question marky, for varying reasons.

 

[Ms Motts]

There is also CWG, which I suspect is an aim for a lot of the Welsh and Scottish gymnasts.

They’re so close together. It’ll be a nice bit of international competition experience for the best of the non-Euros bound gymnasts from each of the three countries. Becky should get one assignment or the other (although I am sure Euros is her goal not the CWG) - it doesn’t look like there’s a lot of depth right now.

 

[Ms Motts]

No idea whether she has other eligibility, but I'm not sure Becky would do well in an individual system. Her TF record is actually really strong. One fall on beam at 2016 Euros, and I can't recall if she's ever come off bars at all. She does much worse when it's just her.

I was thinking the same about Becky. She absolutely shows up for the team and then crashes (when she does) in her own finals.

 

[Puffin]

What is the situation with the Gadirovas?

 

[MaryClare]

They’re so close together. It’ll be a nice bit of international competition experience for the best of the non-Euros bound gymnasts from each of the three countries. Becky should get one assignment or the other (although I am sure Euros is her goal not the CWG) - it doesn’t look like there’s a lot of depth right now.

I’d like to see Becky go to CWGs, it would be 20 years since she competed at 2006 CWGs

 

[MaryClare]

What is the situation with the Gadirovas?

They don’t want to embarrass themselves?

 

[ArnoldRimmer]

What is the situation with the Gadirovas?

Good question.

Jen had a long layoff in 2023-4, and was looking like she'd be in the mix for 2025, as her stuff in autumn 2024 was quite promising. Then she tore her ACL and was out last year. She got a couple of 12s on bars and beam at the Welsh championships, and for whatever reason isn't competing at the British this weekend.

Jess last competed at the Paris world cup last year, then said she didn't want to go to worlds due to injury. Some of us wondered if that was diplomatic speak for not thinking it was worth the risk to go to worlds for what would almost certainly have been 2 prelims routines only. But the fact that she's not done anything at all since makes me think she probably was injured.

 

[ArnoldRimmer]

Also, have we had the various selection criteria on here yet? Relevant to the discussion about who's aiming for what.

This is MAG CWG for England. I think all the leading MAGs currently are English.

https://s3.amazonaws.com/a.storyblok.com/f/83342/x/0bbf04320e/english-gymnastics-selection-policy-mag-commonwealth-games-2026-p1.pdf

WAG Euros. Interestingly, there's a specific Designated Selection Event in June. So more of a formal trial situation than in some championships.

https://a.storyblok.com/f/83342/x/b0b58217d4/british-gymnastics-wag-senior-european-championships-selection-policy-part-2-v2.pdf

MAG aren't having one for Euros, but they list British Team Championships in June instead.

https://s3.amazonaws.com/a.storyblok.com/f/83342/x/4b1fe1b05e/british-gymnastics-mag-senior-european-championships-selection-policy-part-2-v1.pdf