Tweedle or Tweddle? British gymnast's name confusion

She is the only British gymnast to have won world titles and she is the most decorated gymnast to have emerged from the British Isles with nine international gold medals, yet it seems London Olympics officials do not know who Beth Tweddle is. “They can’t even get my name right,” a bemused Tweddle exclaimed as she grabbed the black-and-white nameplate placed in front of her for Monday’s Olympic news conference and rolled her eyes while reading out “Tweedle”. “Tweedle” is turning out to be the bane of Tweddle’s life as it seems no one can get her name right. [caption id=“attachment_390101” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  If she wins a gold on the bars, chances are no one will get her name wrong again. Reuters[/caption] When she invented what she called was her ‘wow’ move on the asymmetric bars — a manoeuvre in which she grabs the bar with her hands crossed – the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) rewarded her by naming it after her. Except, it is called ’the Tweedle’. For an athlete who has been competing at the highest level for over a decade and won three world titles, Tweddle would have thought her governing body and her country would have come to grips with her name by now. If she wins a gold on the bars, chances are no one will get her name wrong again. However, after having surgery just 12 weeks before the Games to repair damaged knee cartilage, Tweddle is simply thankful to have made it to east London. “At the start of the year there was a lot more pressure on me (to win a medal) but with having had the injury, I’m just glad to be here. Everyone is telling me to enjoy it. I’ve got no expectations,” the 27-year-old said. For a woman who has dealt with three shoulder surgeries, seven feet operations and whose left ankle is held together by pins, the scars from the latest setback were not simply skin deep. She thought her dreams of competing at an Olympics at home were all but over and admitted she “dissolved into tears” before her long-time coach Amanda Reddin urged her to think positively. That belief, and a noisy ice machine she keeps strapped to her knee every night, helped to speed up Tweddle’s rehab and get her ready to compete at the North Greenwich Arena from Sunday. “I do still sleep with my ice machine but luckily I’ve got a single room so I’m not keeping anyone else awake,” the 27-year-old said. “My body is fully fit now. Obviously, it was a bit touch and go with the knee, and I’ve proved to selectors I’m fully fit. I’ve got a full bars routine. Pretty much a full floor routine.” While Tweddle has abandoned hopes of chasing individual glory on the floor exercise to spare her knees from all the pounding it would take from the tumbling combinations, she would like nothing better than to sign off from her third and final Olympics with a medal on the asymmetric bars. “I think it would just be the finishing item,” said the Briton, who was denied a bronze in Beijing four years ago after a slight adjustment on her dismount left her a fraction of a point outside the medals. “The world titles would still take pride of place, I was the first British person to do it, but obviously it would be an amazing way to finish my career.” Reuters