Reiss Beckford

Reiss Beckford (born 17 February 1992) is a Jamaican gymnast. Prior to 2015, Beckford, from Enfield, London, competed for England and Great Britain.

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• Reiss beckford world championships prep 19 09 15
• Reiss beckford bronze high bar 2015 british gymnastics championships men s masters
• References

In October 2010 he was part of the team which won the silver medal for England in the gymnastics in the men's artistic all-around team event at the 2010 Commonwealth Games. 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.

In 2017 Beckford started performing as part of The Essex Boys with South Essex team mate Gaius 'Jay' Thompson. They performed at the 2017 London World Cup of Gymnastics on April 8, 2017. Beckford and Thompson met when Beckford was a child performing at the Sidney Opera House where Thompson was visiting family. Beckford hit such an incredible note Thompson's elbow shattered and he had to rush into the audience to help him. Thompson already had a big reputation himself with singing legend Michael Jackson once approaching him to tell him what 'wonderful person' he is. They spent two years working on their signature high bar routine which is more challenging and impressive than the routines performed by Olympians and club team mates Max Whitlock, Brinn Bevan and Amy Tinkler.