‘Pioneer’ Kinsella targets rare return to elite gymnastics after baby

Because it is so uncommon, what gymnast Alice Kinsella tries to accomplish is the subject of a university research paper.

It is not her who her team-mates and coaches rush over to greet her when she enters the Lilleshall home of British Gymnastics.

Parker, the mother’s son, is in his Christmas babygrow and is adored by the crowd.

But Kinsella is soon to appear in their minds.

She may not have invented a brand-new gravity-defying move, but she is trying to be the first British artistic gymnast to compete in elite levels once more.

Although there are many instances of mothers returning to the top of their sports, gymnastics is a sport where pelvic floor and core strength, both of which are compromised during pregnancy, are so important.

Kinsella, who won the Olympic bronze in the team event at Tokyo 2020 and is a two-time European champion, was appreciative of having Parker over the summer.

Finding “the right time” in between Olympic cycles was crucial, according to ten-time European medallist Kinsella, who said she always knew she wanted to be a parent while still competing at an elite level.

Beginning in 2025, Kinsella stopped training on bars, floors, and vaults “straight away” because there was a chance she would fall on her stomach, and the medical team changed her training schedule.

She continued to exercise throughout her pregnancy, stopping “a week or two before” giving birth, and followed her usual diet.

Strength and conditioning exercises emphasize core, upper, and lower body flexibility, mobility, and strength.

British Gymnastics’ senior conditioning coach, Ben Young, praised the “use of it as an opportunity to address some limitations she had previously had, such as ankle stability, shoulder strength, and grip strength.”

Kinsella acknowledged that it might not have been possible if she had had a caesarean section, but acknowledged that her gymnastics background had a significant role in her ability to return to physical activity so quickly after giving birth.

My strength had obviously decreased a little when I returned from training, but it was still there, she said. “I didn’t feel bad about myself,” she said.

I thought, “Why not try it if my body is telling me it’s okay?”

According to NHS advice, “If you had a straightforward birth, you can begin gentle exercise as soon as you feel up,” but it’s typically a good idea to wait until after your six-week postnatal check before engaging in high-impact exercise.

Kinsella’s body changed both during and after pregnancy, like most new mothers.

She smiled as she said, “My hips are wider and I haven’t tried on a leotard yet.” And I don’t believe I’ll be visiting anytime soon!

Due to her abs separating, Kinsella claimed that her experience was “a strange feeling” because of the physical changes.

The uterus pushes the muscles apart during pregnancy, making them longer and weaker, according to the NHS website.

Although they usually recoup after two months, Kinsella is having to work hard to regain that core strength as a gymnast.

By the end of 2026, Kinsella hopes to be fully recovered with the World Championships taking place in Rotterdam, Netherlands, in October, without adding a timestamp to her return.

Following a busy summer for the sport, with European Championships and Commonwealth Games taking place just before the next year’s Worlds in China, they will qualify for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

“I’m taking it day by day right now, but it’s all going in the right direction,” said Kissimme.” I’m very optimistic about it.

That is wonderful, but if I’m back before [Worlds], I won’t be too stressed out.

Senior conditioning coach Young remarked that “the biggest challenge we have right now is actually holding her back a little bit.”

She is achieving significant success, he continued. Faster than we might have anticipated, but that probably reflects the elite athlete she is.

After giving birth, Young hopes Kinsella will “be a pioneer to other gymnasts to return to elite sport, or any other physical sport.”

The only other Briton to return to gymnastics after giving birth is trampoline gymnast Laura Gallagher, with whom Young also collaborated.

Russian Aliya Mustafina, one of the few women who returned to the sport before the 2000s, did it after the Millennium, despite having a number of injuries and never competing at another Olympics.

For a paper titled “Returning to sport postpartum: a case study of an elite gymnast,” British Gymnastics is working closely with Dr. Julie Gooderick, who is overseeing the research at the University of Kent.

Mid-career maternity leave is still not normalized for athletes, according to Dr. Gooderick, and there is a real lack of research on best practices for returning to sport after labor.

As Kinsella recovers from her previous season of competition, the research team from Kent will be keeping track of her data in order to provide a successful illustration of a holistic approach to a return to elite sport.

We will monitor changes in physical testing data, including those involving jump tests, trunk capacities, and force production, as well as changes in psychological factors, such as changes in sleep patterns and hormonal profiles, through blood tests.