They were only 16 when they won medals at the Tokyo Olympics. So how are the high-flying sisters balancing stardom and schoolwork?
Early on a Friday morning in a large, open gymnasium in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, Jessica and Jennifer Gadirova are standing a few metres apart on a springy blue floor, preparing for takeoff. They have convinced the photographer to shoot them doing handsprings. The hope is that they will coordinate so well, the camera will capture the identical twins in identical poses mid‑air; backs arched like horseshoes, hands about to reach the floor, legs stretched, feet pointed like ballerinas. The countdown begins. On a second-floor viewing platform, a crowd of parents and small children, here for a preschool gymnastics class, watches in anticipation. Three, two, one. The children are transfixed, probably unaware they are watching two Olympic bronze medallists in action. The jumps look coordinated enough to me – but did it work for the camera? Not this time, it turns out.
This is the Gadirova twins’ first magazine photoshoot and I can feel their excitement. In addition to acrobatics on the floor, they suggest poses on the beam and bars – all sorts of kicks, handstands and jumps. Their Olympic-level work ethic shines through. “I could get my leg straighter,” Jessica suggests after doing a kick on a beam, and back on it she hops. When it’s time for a solo portrait, the twin not being photographed will take her phone and proudly document the other’s turn in the spotlight. There’s a fierce commitment to equality between them. If the photographer places one twin in front, they’ll ask for another set of pictures, this time switching places. “We’re the twins, but it’s nice to be recognised as individuals,” Jennifer tells me later.