Gymnast Alice Kinsella in GB European Championship squad - but Joe Fraser sits out
Gymnastics ace Alice Kinsella has been selected in Great Britain’s squad for the European Championships but Joe Fraser won’t defend his all-around title.
Fraser last year became the first British male to ever win the crown but has opted to sit out next month’s championships in Turkey as he recovers steadily from a hectic 2022.
The 23-year-old former Sandwell Academy student battled through the pain barrier after suffering a ruptured appendix and then fracturing his foot weeks before the Birmingham Commonwealth Games, where he won three gold medals.
Kinsella, who won two golds at Birmingham 2022, will be in action and aiming to go one better this time around after claiming individual all-around silver at last year’s Europeans.
The Park Wrekin gymnast is part of a five-strong women’s squad which also features Ondine Achampong, Georgia-Mae Fenton, Becky Downie and world champion Jessica Gadirova.
Fraser’s City of Birmingham club-mate Joshua Nathan is part of the men’s team which also features three-time Olympic champion Max Whitlock, who will compete in a major championships for the first time since Tokyo 2020.
British gymnastics performance director Tracy Whittaker-Smith said: “With a strong list of established GB gymnasts progressing to full fitness and form after a busy 2022 and many up-and-coming younger names to look out for it’s clear that there is a great pool of talent for us all to be excited about with less than 500 days to go to the Olympic Games.”
