Alice Kinsella: 'Gymnastics more of a mental challenge as I get older'

Kinsella said it would be "a dream" to get a gold at the 2024 Paris Olympics

A Commonwealth gold medal-winning gymnast has said the challenge of the sport had become "more mental than physical" in recent years.

Sutton Coldfield's Alice Kinsella is about to go to the World Championships, which begin in Belgium on 30 September.

The 22-year-old, who won two golds at the Birmingham games in 2022, said she found adjusting to the increased mental demands tough, but she was determined.

She added that she found she was "quite good at forgetting... and moving on".

Kinsella was born in Essex, but moved to the region at the age of 18 months when her father, footballer Mark Kinsella, moved from Charlton Athletic to Aston Villa.

'Pretty crazy sport'

She said she had always enjoyed gymnastics, but the challenge had changed of it had changed over time.

"Since getting older, gymnastics is more mental than physical," she said.

"I'm now trying to tidy up the same routines I have been doing.

"People do say I am quite good at forgetting about things and moving on, which I am happy about."

Kinsella has a host of medals from across her career, including three Commonwealth golds and an Olympic bronze

She said it was "a pretty crazy sport" which could be "quite scary at times, but I do love it".

"With puberty, it does take a toll and I do think that is a reason why some girls can't push on or do it anymore," she added.

Kinsella has a host of medals from across her career, including three Commonwealth golds, won at the Gold Coast and Birmingham games, two European Championship golds, and an Olympic bronze, which she got as part of the GB team at the 2020 Tokyo games.

The gymnast, who used to train at Park Wrekin Gymnastics Club in Telford, said the main focus of the upcoming World Championships in Antwerp was to "enjoy it and have fun", as the team had already been selected for the 2024 Paris Olympics.

She said it would be "a dream" to get a gold in France, but whatever happens, next year's Olympics would not be the end of her story.

"I'd say I'm not going to retire after that," she said.

"I've definitely got a few years left in me."