Danusia Francis is aiming to compete for Jamaica at the 2016 Rio Olympics.

By Sarah Gearhart

 

Moments like what happened on August 11, 2012 are unforgettable. The “World’s Fastest Man” Usain Bolt was at Olympic Stadium in London. The 6-foot-5 force of power sprinted down the straightaway with uncanny speed as he anchored the men’s 4x100-meter relay for Jamaica. He appeared untouchable as he proved what a gold medal performance looked like. 

 

Gymnast Danusia Francis remembers watching her idol’s brilliant race, during which he helped the team set a world record of 36.84 seconds en route to first place. And Francis can’t forget his attitude afterward either — Bolt posed for cameras and high-fived shrieking fans spilling from their seats.

 

“He knows that he’s the best,” Francis said. 

 

Francis wants to give Jamaica another reason to brag, just as Bolt has done in track. She wants to help Jamaica establish a track record in gymnastics by competing in the Olympics next summer in Rio de Janeiro. 

 

No gymnast in Olympic history has ever competed for Jamaica, a country known for its dominating track and field influence. In fact, 66 of 67 medals captured by athletes representing Jamaica were won in track and field; cyclist David Weller claimed a bronze medal in the 1000-meter time trial at the 1980 Olympics in Moscow.

 

But there’s much more to Jamaica, insists Toni-Ann Williams, the Pac-12 Freshman of the Year who competes for the University of California-Berkeley. She also aspires to represent her country in Rio along with 23-year-old Reiss Beckford, a British-born Jamaican gymnast.

 

Together, Francis, Williams and Beckford are fixed on serving as Jamaica’s first gymnastics ambassadors. In their campaign to establish themselves on the Olympic platform, they opened up about their goals as they edge closer to making their dreams a reality.

 

Danusia Francis

Her curly platinum blonde ponytail is noticeable from afar. It bounces with every move as Danusia Francis graces across the beam, working through her routine with ease before she performs a signature move — a sideways aerial to a layout full dismount off the side of the beam. One to push boundaries, Francis was the first collegiate gymnast to successfully execute it twice in 2014. 

 

“It’s definitely one of the more scary skills I do,” Francis said. “There’s not very much margin for error.”

 

When she hits the mat feet first, the smile on her face signals relief, for now. She makes it all look effortless. But hidden behind that joyous expression is intense determination brought on from weighty sacrifices. Without surrendering to gymnastics completely at the age of nine, she wouldn’t be at this stage of her career: competing for UCLA, becoming a three-time All-American and attempting to make history for Jamaica in the process. 

 

This was all before she was a reserve athlete for the Great Britain Olympic Team in 2012. And in 2011, she helped Great Britain to fifth place at the World Championships in Tokyo. Francis, who was born in Coventry, England, changed her citizenship from Great Britain to Jamaica earlier this spring. 

 

It was a difficult decision, but she’s confident about her choice, just as she was at age nine, when she elected to leave her mother Wanda Tebby, a single parent of four, to attend St. David’s boarding school on a full gymnastics scholarship. Her local gym was being demolished at the time, and she thought leaving home was her only option to stay competitive in the sport she quickly grew to love.

 

But the transition wasn’t easy. Francis called her mother every night, and Wanda made up for the missed quality time by driving an hour and a half to the school every weekend to spend time with her daughter. 

 

“Looking back, I can’t believe I made that decision at such a young age. I’d probably be doing something else. I don’t know if I would be in sports,” Francis said.
 

Francis and her mother remain even farther apart these days, she in Los Angeles at UCLA, and her mother in Kenilworth, a small town in Warwickshire, England. The difference in time zones has yet to disconnect their communication. Francis describes her mother as her biggest fan and typically calls her after every meet. Meanwhile, her mother sometimes stays awake until 4 a.m. to watch a live stream of her daughter competing. 

 

“It’s an awful mixture of pleasure and pain. It’s completely nerve wracking,” Wanda said of monitoring her daughter’s every move when she performs, especially on the beam. 

 

Francis views the separation from her family as a necessary sacrifice to fulfill a burning ambition. 

 

“It’s definitely cool to have the chance to represent Jamaica in a different field at the Olympics,” Francis said. 

 

But before she can get to that stage, her attention is on the World Gymnastic Championships in Glasgow, Scotland, this October. She’ll resurrect her vault, which she hasn’t done for three years, and she’ll also integrate new skills, of which are under wraps. And she intends to execute her James Bond routine — she confided that she wants to walk away from the competition as a memorable performer.

 

“I know I can make people in the audience happy,” Francis said. “I expect myself to have a clean competition and have fun. Anything else is a bonus.” 

 

The World Championships will help seal her fate for the Olympics. That’s pressure, she said. And if she makes it to Rio next summer, Francis looks forward to showing off to the crowd in a similar vein as Bolt. 

 

 

Toni-Ann Williams

A native of Baltimore, Maryland, Toni-Ann Williams has dual citizenship for the United States and Jamaica. 

 

Williams described herself as a hyper child and became involved with gymnastics and ice skating as a way to tame her excessive energy. But after her sister accidentally skated over Williams’ fingers during practice one day, that was the end of her interest in ice skating, and she shifted her attention to gymnastics. 

 

She has been competing in the sport since age seven. At age 15, Williams cut ties with the American Gymnastics Association in order to represent Jamaica, where her parents were born. That there is no Olympic history for gymnastics in Jamaica makes her excited to be part of a movement. 

 

“It’s a great opportunity to bring gymnastics to a community where it’s not really popular and also to be able to represent my home country,” Williams said. 

 

In summer 2013, Williams hosted young gymnasts from Jamaica for a couple of weeks in Maryland. Getting youth from Jamaica excited motivates her to grow the sport and help get it supported as much as possible. She views competing in the Olympics as a way to open the door to other athletes in Jamaica—she wants them to have the opportunities she’s had growing up in the United States. 

 

“In Jamaica there are a lot of opportunities for people to be able to run, but gyms are harder to find,” Williams said. “I do think it’s possible to develop the sport in the Jamaica. But we need to raise awareness and get people involved and understand the sport.” 

 

Before college, Williams trained up to 28 hours a week, but per NCAA rules, she can only practice a maximum of 20 hours a week. So she also takes spinning classes outside of training to help maintain her fitness. So far so good, she expressed during a recent conversation about her preparation for the World Championships. 

 

Williams said competing for Cal this past season as a freshman has helped prepare her for what’s ahead and added that her college competitive experience exceeded her expectations. She didn’t expect her body to be able to sustain the tough schedule, nor did she expect that she’d have the mental endurance to manage it. 

 

“I want to push myself as far as I can go,” she said about the upcoming international competition in Glasgow. And beyond that, she’s already thinking ahead to next summer. 

 

Just qualifying for the Olympics isn’t enough. Williams wants more, and she’s prepared to do whatever is necessary to achieve at the highest level. 

 

“I’m excited to see what comes next,” she said. 

 

 

Reiss Beckford

He moves on the parallel bars in a quick succession of contortions. The strength required to uphold Reiss Beckford’s 5-foot-8, 154-pound body is evident in his broad shoulders, sharpened from hours upon hours in the gym. 

 

Beckford is a performer, no doubt. He said he would likely have played basketball if he didn’t become an elite gymnast. 

 

But fate drove him elsewhere — to the pommel horse, the high bar and on the floor, where he makes every flip and spin seem natural. Beckford has been developing his skills since age six. He aspires to test his gymnastics IQ against the rest of world next summer in Rio.  

 

He remembers his grandfather jokingly urge him about competing for his native Jamaica instead of for Great Britain at the Olympics. Beckford, who was born in the London Borough of Enfield, said he didn’t know it was possible until last year, when the Jamaican gymnastics team manager asked if he would like to represent the country. 

 

Beckford, whose father is Jamaican, made a difficult decision to switch his allegiance from Great Britain earlier this year. But he’s not yet sealed his position to compete in Rio. Jamaica doesn’t hold national championships to determine who will represent its Olympic team since only about a handful of gymnasts, men and women combined, are elite enough to even think about attempting to qualify. 

 

So the road to Rio includes the World Championships in October, which serves as a trial. Beckford must obtain a certain score for the Olympic test event next year to officially make it to Rio. 

 

Beckford said he feels little pressure. Just being able to represent Jamaica is an achievement, and any pressure that builds is self-applied.

 

He is currently preparing for the World Championships this fall and said he’s pleased with his training progress. Beckford is focusing on increasing the start values for his routines and staying consistent. He’s motivated to obtain a solid all-around score.

 

Beckford said one of the biggest challenges is to get Jamaica to be recognized as a nation that can compete in gymnastics. But his background helps the cause. He won three silver medals — all-around, floor exercise and team — at the Commonwealth Games in Delhi in 2010. 

 

“Our federation is very small so we all help out,” Beckford said. “We have to work together very hard to make things happen.”

 

That includes funding. Outside of major multi-sport events, there’s little, if any financial support for gymnastics, posing challenges to travel to competitions. 

 

A GoFundMe page was established to help support Beckford, Francis and Williams as they train to qualify for the 2016 Olympics. The goal is to raise approximately $20,000 toward the costs of competing—flights, accommodations, meals and fees for each gymnast and his or her coaches. Only about $400 has been raised since the campaign launched in March this year. Beckford said he is currently entirely self-funded. He works a part-time job to help pay for his training expenses. 

 

“I believe Jamaica can accomplish amazing results in gymnastics, but Jamaica is an emerging gymnastics nation, and most things are happening for the first time,” Beckford said. “If we can get a good result at the 2016 Olympics, then support will come with it.”

 

Beckford wants to help develop gymnastics in Jamaica and aspires to start a program similar to what’s established in Great Britain. 

 

“It’s a big opportunity for Jamaica to branch out into different sports and show the younger generation that there are other sports apart from track and field,” Beckford said. “It inspires me to think that I may be able to make history and inspire others.”




Related:
Watch Danusia Francis' signature beam dismount 
Francis on leaving home at 9 and her 2012 Olympic experience
Watch Toni-Ann Williams break it down on floor