Emma Nedov

Emma Nedov, the athlete they call Australia’s Beam Queen, has come out of retirement for the third act of her artistic gymnastics story. 

When Emma gave it all away after failing to make it to the Tokyo Olympics, it was the second time she had retired. The first time came after an Achilles injury in 2017. 

Both times she was drawn back to the sport by the sense that she had unfinished business. 

“I actually made an Instagram post in 2021 and I wrote in it, ‘I’m not going to say I’m retired because I’m notorious for comebacks’,” Emma said.  “There was a big part of me that felt like I had unfinished business when I finished up.”  

Emma started gymnastics when she was five at the YMCA at Epping, in Sydney’s northwest. 

She went on to be a part of the Australian national team and competed internationally from the age of 13.  

She is a World Cup gold medallist on balance beam, her pet event, and has won multiple national beam championships. 

In early 2017, Emma tore her Achilles tendon in training and decided to retire – but as the injury healed, her desire to compete returned. 

“After having the time off, experiencing life without gymnastics and getting a proper job, I decided that I’d give my all and go for it one last time," she says. 

Emma returned to competition at the Australian Classic in 2018, where she won gold on the balance beam, before helping the Australian team to finish 15th at the world championships in Doha. 

The following year she won gold on balance beam at the Australian championships and claimed a World Cup gold medal in Baku, Azerbaijan. 

But then COVID unravelled her attempts to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics and she decided to retire again.

Emma pursued her career as a sports nutritionist and health coach, as well as co-founding sporting accessories company Artium Sport. 

But her passion for gymnastics bubbled away in the background until she could no longer ignore it.

“Basically, the comeback happened because I realised that I could do it,” Emma said.

“Living conveniently around the corner from the gym I used to train at in 2015 and obviously the girls did such an incredible job at world champs last year that it opened up a door to finally be able to make a team for the Olympics.  

“Something that I haven’t been able to after missing out in 2016 and trying to qualify in 2020. I thought, ‘You know what, I’m going to go back and I’m going to see what happens'.”  

Emma returned to training in late 2023. She competed at the national championships on the Gold Coast in May 2024, where she finished fourth in the all around. She was also a part of the Victorian team that dominated the Team All-Around to win gold and also claiming a silver medal on the beam.

The performance won Emma a recall to the Australian team.

“The support from everyone so far has been amazing,” Emma said.

“There was a part of me that was nervous people would say, ‘Why are you going back to gymnastics? You’re 28. Move on.’  I’ve had the complete opposite.

“A lot of my friends that have been out of the sport for a long time are like, ‘I’m going to live vicariously through you’.

“The support has been overwhelming. It’s been great.”