PINEWOOD gymnast and European tumbling champion Lucie Colebeck has announced her retirement from the sport.

The 22-year-old revealed she will no longer compete after winning a host of tumbling and trampolining medals.

Ascot-born Colebeck has been a regular member of the Great Britain team that has enjoyed incredible success in recent years.

She retires as one of Britain’s most successful tumblers having won multiple medals at national, European and world level.

Colebeck took up gymnastics aged eight and competed at 12 British Championships, seven World Championships, five European Championships and one World Games throughout the age groups.

She collected eight European titles, eight British titles, two World Age titles, six World Championship medals and one World Games medal.

Colebeck goes out on a high after landing gold at the Women’s Senior British Championships last year, bronze at the World Championships and gold at this year's European Championships in Azerbaijan.


Colebeck, who made her GB debut in 2009, announced her retirement in an emotional online blog.

She said: "The gym family is something I absolutely love about being part of the Great Britain team. Each and every one of them are brilliant.

"Personal triumph is not done with one person alone. It involves a whole bunch of people; coaches, judges, team mates, friends and family.

“Many, many individuals are involved in the road to success and there are lots of people I have to thank for their constant support.

"Getting to be a part of so many spectacular things that I would never have imagined this sport would allow me to do, the Common Wealth Games and the Olympic Games; I mean, wow.

“To have the opportunity to go to Rio and show the world the art of tumbling was a massive honour and something I’ll remember for the rest of my life."

Bracknell News:

Lucie Colebeck, centre, with Pinewood teammates and coach Vladimir Podobin, second left.

Colebeck is set to put her gymnastics skills to good use by joining the world-renowned, Cirque du Soleil.

She also paid tribute to her Pinewood coach, Vladimir Podobin, with whom she has enjoyed tremendous success.

She added: “Imagine a moment in your life where all your dreams come true, it’s the greatest moment of your life and you have one person to experience it with, who’s standing next to you?

“Every competition I had success at, Vov was the one standing next to me whether this was him on the floor as a coach or stood up in the stands giving me a thumbs up and a smile.

“If he wasn’t able to be the one standing next to me, he was always my first phone call as soon as I walked out the arena.”