Rachel Smith (born 3 January 1993) is a

rhythmic gymnast Rhythmic gymnastics is a sport in which gymnasts perform on a floor with an apparatus: hoop, ball, clubs, ribbon. The sport combines elements of gymnastics, dance and calisthenics; gymnasts must be strong, flexible, agile, dexterous and coordi ...

. She has competed for Great Britain at European and World championships for rhythmic gymnastics as an individual gymnast and the GBR RG team and also captained the team which competed for

Team GB Team GB is the brand name used since 1999 by the British Olympic Association (BOA) for their British Olympic team. The brand was developed after the nation's poor performance in the 1996 Summer Olympics, and is now a trademark of the BOA. I ...

at the

2012 Summer Olympics The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...

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 ...

Early life

Smith was born on 3 January 1993 in

Wyken Wyken, a suburb of Coventry, West Midlands, England, is situated between the areas of Stoke and Walsgrave, three miles east-northeast of Coventry city centre. The population of this Coventry Ward taken at the 2011 census was 16,818. It is a fa ...

Coventry Coventry ( or ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. It is on the River Sherbourne. Coventry has been a large settlement for centuries, although it was not founded and given its ...

, England to father Robert Smith and mother Vanessa Smith. She attended Ravensdale Primary School, where she began her gymnastics career.

Gymnastics career

Smith started gymnastics at the age of 6 at Ravensdale Primary School, where she was spotted as talented and sent to the City of Coventry RGC, the local gymnastics club. From here she trialled for the Great Britain gymnastics squad located at Lilleshall National Sports Centre, where she was accepted into the performance squad at the age of 8. Smith competed in her first international competition in Russia when she was 9. She has competed at European and World Championships as both an individual and group competitor, as well as competing at the London 2012 Olympic Games. Smith retired in 2013 after a long and illustrious career.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Rachel 1993 births Living people British rhythmic gymnasts Olympic gymnasts for Great Britain Gymnasts at the 2012 Summer Olympics Sportspeople from Coventry 21st-century British women