Ode to: Gabby Jupp

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Even in the midst of all the great gymnastics going on at Euros, there was a blot in the festivities. The storm cloud, of course, was the injury of new Great Britain senior Gabrielle (Gabby) Jupp. After completing a steady beam routine, she went for her double pike dismount, landed, and fell clutching her leg. The news just came out, and Jupp has torn her ACL, an injury which will sideline her for at least six months. She'll have surgery in May. Realistically, she is now definitely out of Worlds, and probably won't be back to competition shape until next year.  When Mustafina tore her ACL at 2011 Euros, she wasn't really back to her peak until summer 2012, and even then still messing up beam.

But anyway, here's a look at the career of Gabby Jupp, and the amazing accomplishments she's made within such a short competitive career.

2010

We'll start here, at the point in Gabby's career where she first started turning international heads. The only record I can find of the 2010 British Espoir Championships, in which competitors have to be 12 or 13,  anywhere on the internet ( I admit sometimes I'm not very good at google) is that Gabby placed 2nd in the all-around, 1st on beam and 3rd on floor.


Here's her beam routine from that competition. It's worth noting here that historically, Great Britain's weakest event has been beam, mostly because there seems to be a cardinal rule that they're not allowed to all stay on in a rotation /s. This steadiness must have made the higher ups keep an eye on her.

2011

Of course, still a junior here, she was a bit limited in international meet opportunities, but still managed to rack up a second place AA and a first place on beam at the Junior British National Championships, followed with a second place beam  finish at the European Youth Olympic Festival, and a first place at the Junior International Gymmix


Ironic that she shows an Aly Raisman-esque low beam grab, but this steadiness is so great. Much like the Romanians, she just never looks like she's going to fall off.

2012

Just sixth months too young  to qualify for her home Olympics, Gabby was actually a torch bearer for it, running with the Olympic flame through London. Of course, that wasn't all she did last year, managing to earn quite a few titles. Most notably, she was the junior  All Around champion at both the British National Championships and the English Championships. In fact, at the English Championships, she was top at everything but uneven bars. At the junior European Championships, she managed a bronze on floor, even though a mistake in the beam final cost her a medal

She didn't actually fall, just a leg up in the beginning, and a low chest on the dismount

2013

So here we are, this year. Gabby started things off with the first international competiton, the American Cup, where she definitely impressed, even with her 6th place finish.
Underscored everywhere, especially here and beam.

Where the judges found almost two points of deductions here is beyond me.

 Then, she became the British All Around Champion, beating out veterans like Whelan with her consistency. At the Doha World Cup, she took bronzes on both uneven bars and balance beam, sharing a podium with superstars Zeng Siqi and Larisa Iordache.


Then at the European Championships, where she was expected to make multiple finals, this happened.

 We've seen too much of this position in the last few years. Mustafina, Bross, and probably Livchikova if there was footage of her two injuries. It's just so infuriating, because unlike the aformentioned, Jupp doesn't have bad form. She's performed the double pike dismount comfortably before, and at no point did it look like she was chucking anything she couldn't handle. The injury came completely out of nowhere.
And so, a promising senior career must take a huge setback. Hopefully, she'll make like Mustafina, and come back a bars queen. She could be the new Tweddle! All things considered, I suppose it's better that she was injured now instead of later, but I'm gutted for her. Here's hoping for an amazing 2014 for Gabby!

( By the way, this beam routine actually made finals. She qualified in 8th place. The spot was relegated to Grishina, who earned a bronze.)