FORMER Queen's School Chester pupil and world champion gymnast Beth Tweddle has demonstrated how Olympians can make the graceful leap from sporting career into the world of business.

Beth Tweddle MBE, 36, who grew up in Bunbury, was one of the pioneers in Team GB's rise to glory in gymnastics, securing an Olympic bronze medal in London 2012.

Since retiring from competitive action, Beth has since set up Beth Tweddle Gymnastics, a business that hosts classes for 7,000 young people every week and employs 27 staff – having started out in 2019 with just 10 support staff.

The gymnastics sessions now extend into such places as Abbey Gate College, Ellesmere Port Sports Village and Total Fitness in Chester, offering weekly classes for gymnastics stars of the future, from as young as two years old.

Beth's success has shown it is more than possible for Team GB's Olympic heroes, fresh from their success at Tokyo, with 82 per cent of Team GB athletes confirming they often think about what they will do once they retire as an athlete.

The study, by GoDaddy Inc, a company that empowers everyday entrepreneurs, also showed that over a quarter [27 per cent] of those surveyed already run their own business, and one third [33 per cent] are looking to start one after they retire. In addition, nearly two thirds [64 per cent] of Team GB athletes agree that elite sportspeople and successful entrepreneurs share similar personal traits.

In response, GoDaddy has created a new ‘Life After Sport’ hub for Team GB competitors, which equips athletes with all the resources they need to quickly set up their business online.

Speaking about making the link between sport and business, Beth said: “I had two key passions while I was competing: one was gymnastics, and the other was working with children. My inspiration to combine them for a business venture came from wanting gymnastics to be accessible for everyone.

“I’ve been very pleased to see the business grow and develop over the past few years and the website has played a crucial role.

"It’s the first experience people have with the business and getting this right was an important learning curve in my journey as an entrepreneur. It’s only since I retired from gymnastics that I realised the number of business skills I developed during my sporting career – resilience, perseverance and even problem solving. It’s really important that athletes hone these qualities if they want to go into the commercial world.”

Ben Law, head of UK & Ireland for GoDaddy, added: “What really shone through with the Team GB athletes in Tokyo was their passion, drive and commitment. Ultimately, every athlete is a small business, and we see the same qualities in successful entrepreneurs. We’re proud to have partnered with Team GB, and our Life After Sport hub will allow many of the competitors to turn their business dreams into reality.”