Team GB gymnast twins celebrate GCSE results
Team GB's gymnast twins were jumping for joy this morning as they were awarded distinctions in their GCSEs - just days after scoring bronze medals in Tokyo.
Jessica and Jennifer Gadirova, both 16, explained how they had to juggle months of studying like every other teenager - while also training for the Olympics.
The sisters had their first taste of glory at the Games last month, when they teamed up with Alice Kinsella and Amelie Morgan to clinch an improbable team bronze - Great Britain's first podium finish in that event for 93 years.
The Dublin-born pair, who now live in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire - where they appear in the 'Hall of Fame' at the local gym academy - insisted they plan to build on their performance at future competitions, despite already achieving what millions of athletes around the globe aspire to throughout their careers.
And while the memories of their early success will last a lifetime, today they were back in the shoes of millions of other students as they arrived at school to pick up their GCSE results.
Speaking to Good Morning Britain, Jennifer said: 'I got a Level 2 distinction star in business, and we both got a Level 2 distinction star in health and fitness so we're very pleased.'
Her sister said: 'We just wanted the pass and that's what we got so we're happy to move on. We're not sure what the plans are [for celebration] but I'm sure there'll be one.'
The twins also revealed how they tried to balance the pressure of delivering both academically as well as in the gym.
They added: 'It was quite difficult because we tried to fit training in as much as possible and tried to get those extra hours but at the same time we needed time to study for our GCSEs.
'But with the school's help and everyone's help we managed to juggle it quite well.
'When we were at the Olympics we tried to not put any pressure on ourselves, and just focus on enjoying the moment and not worry about 'I'm not doing this right'.
'Whatever happens, happens, you can't go back and change it, so we just tried to enjoy the experience.'
Shortly after securing their historic bronze, the twins then went head-to-head, putting on an impressive display in the women's all-round gymnastics despite falling short in their quests for another medal.
Despite a fall on the beam, Jessica scored 53.965 to eclipse the previous British best of 12th place by Becky Downie in Beijing in 2008. Her twin sister Jennifer finished 13th with a score of 53.533.
The duo had arrived at their debut Olympics admitting they were in awe of stars like Simone Biles, but proceeded to underscore their tremendous potential in the Japanese capital.
Their performances were all the more impressive for the way in which they rebounded from their minor errors, with Jessica scoring a lowly 12.033 on beam, and Jennifer also mistiming an element of her routine on the uneven bars.
Jennifer said after the event: 'I didn't want to put any pressure on myself so I put it (my medal) to the back of my mind and just restarted and told myself it's just another competition, and nothing has happened.
'I do feel like I belong a bit more now, but I still feel a bit like, wow, I'm still competing with the best gymnasts in the world.'
Tom Pyman For Mailonline
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