A gymnastics guru from Northampton has bagged a national prize 50 years on from helping pioneer the sport’s introduction in the UK. 

Jenny Bott, 86, has coached Olympians and British champions and has now struck gold in the Education category at this month’s British Gymnastics Awards. 

Bott, who is still mentoring the next generation of coaches well into her 80s, was delighted to have been recognised after devoting her life to the sport. 

She said: “I am thrilled to bits, particularly as it’s the education category and I’ve spent all my life in education because I’ve done a lot of teaching, tutoring, mentoring and assessing.”

Bott admits she was ‘hooked’ on gymnastics from an early age and gained coaching qualifications in a range of disciplines including women’s artistic, general gymnastics and sports acrobatics. 

Over the course of her long-standing affiliation with British Gymnastics, Bott has naturally come across a number of high-profile stars in her career including Olympian-turned-Sky Sports presenter Jacquie Beltrao, who she took to the Los Angeles Games in 1984, and broadcaster Gabby Logan. 

For Bott, nothing beats the buzz of watching raw talent blossom. 

“I’ve always been working with children and youngsters and latterly with mature students and adults and helping them with their coaching,” she explained. 

“I like to think that’s what keeps me active, young and up to date with things. I loved every minute of that."

The British Gymnastics Awards are community led and about championing those who make the sport an uplifting experience for all, with more nominations than ever before coming in this year.

It is the creativity, dedication and passion from people in the sport that make gymnastics an accessible, inclusive and enjoyable sport for all.

The nominations were judged by panels made up of British Gymnastics committee members and external panellists from across UK Sport, Gymnova, Milano, Gymaid, Youth Sport Trust, Sport England, Women in Sport, The Include Summit, Sport and Recreation Alliance, The Sport for Development Coalition and GB gymnasts.

Bott’s background in British Gymnastics education stretches back to 1962, where she tutored and assessed many coaches from beginner to international level. 

Since then she has written resources for the British Gymnastics Education department, GCSE Gymnastics Syllabus for various exam boards and produced three books on rhythmic gymnastics. 

Bott added: “I love seeing their excitement and joy at achieving things and coping with new tasks and skills.” 

The British Gymnastics Awards celebrate those at the heart of gymnastics who create an uplifting experience for all. British Gymnastics has launched a new vision for a new era of gymnastics, learn more about Leap Without Limits here - https://www.british-gymnastics.org/vision