Reiss Beckford (born 17 February 1992) is a Jamaican
gymnast. Prior to 2015, Beckford, from
Enfield,
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
, competed for
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
and
Great Britain
Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It is ...
.
In October 2010 he was part of the team which won the silver medal for
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
in the gymnastics in the
men's artistic all-around team event at the
2010 Commonwealth Games
The 2010 Commonwealth Games (Hindi: 2010 राष्ट्रमण्डल खेल), officially known as the XIX Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Delhi 2010, was an international multi-sport event that was held in Delhi, India, f ...
. He also won the silver medal in the
men's individual all-around event and a silver medal in the
men's floor event at the same games.
Born in England with a Jamaican father, Beckford announced his decision to switch allegiance to Jamaica, a move considered likely to increase his chances of qualification for the Olympic Games in Rio in 2016.
Beckford competed at the
2015 World Gymnastics Championships in Glasgow. He and his two teammates were the first Jamaican men to do this. He did not qualify to any finals but placed high enough to qualify a Jamaican man to the Rio Test Event in April 2016 to try to qualify to the Olympic Games.
[ ] However Beckford was unable to take this place at the qualifying event himself because the rules state a gymnast must not have competed for another country in the past three years. Beckford last represented Great Britain in 2014. This meant he missed out on the Rio Olympic Games but could still be the first Jamaican male gymnast to compete at an Olympics if he qualifies to Tokyo 2020.
See also
*
Nationality changes in gymnastics
Nationality changing in the sport of gymnastics is when a gymnast opts to represent a new country in international competitions. Gymnasts may request a nationality change through their federations, provided they have citizenship. The number of nat ...
References
External links
*
Reiss Beckfordat
British Gymnastics
British Gymnastics, also known as the British Amateur Gymnastics Association (BAGA), is the sports governing body for gymnastics and Trampolining in the UK.
History
It was founded in 1888 as the Amateur Gymnastics and Fencing Association. Gy ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Beckford, Reiss
1992 births
Living people
English male artistic gymnasts
Commonwealth Games medallists in gymnastics
Commonwealth Games silver medallists for England
Gymnasts at the 2010 Commonwealth Games
Gymnasts from London
Sportspeople from Enfield, London
Gymnasts at the 2019 Pan American Games
Pan American Games competitors for Jamaica
Medallists at the 2010 Commonwealth Games
English people of Jamaican descent
Black British sportsmen
Jamaican artistic gymnasts
Jamaican sportsmen
Citizens of Jamaica through descent