Lauren Mitchell

In 2007, her first year as a Senior Gymnast, she was the Australian Balance Beam Champion. Mitchell competed at the 2007 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships where the Australian team finished 11th in the preliminary competition. However, Mitchell qualified for the Balance Beam event final, where she placed 5th, equalling Monette Russo as Australia's highest ever finisher in a Balance Beam World Final.[8] Mitchell later stated that she was nervous prior to the final, but pretended she was in training to calm her nerves.[9]

After her strong showing at her debut World Championships, Mitchell went on to compete in several international events. At the DTB Cup in Germany, she won a Silver Medal on Beam and a Bronze medal on floor.[10] She followed this up at the Good Luck Beijing event (a warm up for the venue for the 2008 Summer Olympics), where she won the silver medal on the balance beam in what was a very competitive line up.[11]

Mitchell competed for Australia in the women's artistic team all-around event at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.[4][5]

In July 2009, Mitchell took first place in the all-around at the Australian National Championships in Perth with a score of 112.325 to claim her first national title.[12] She also won titles on uneven bars,[13] balance beam,[14] and floor exercise[15] In October at the 2009 London World Championships, Mitchell finished fourth all-around[1][16] by only 0.025, after she took a 0.1 deduction on floor for stepping out of bounds.[16] She won two silver medals at the event, one in on the floor and one on balance beam.[7]

Lauren Mitchell performing a layout step-out on the balance beam during the World Championships 2009

At the Delhi 2010 Commonwealth Games, Mitchell won gold with the Australian team. She then went on to win gold in the all-around, on the uneven bars, and balance beam, thereby giving her a total of 4 gold medals. She also won silver in the floor exercise.[17] Mitchell's success in winning 4 gold medals is a record at the Commonwealth Games for a female gymnast which she holds jointly with Lori Strong of Canada who accomplished the same feat at the Auckland 1990 Commonwealth Games. Strong though has the slightly better overall record in that she also won 2 silvers to Mitchell's 1. Mitchell's achievement, however, was especially impressive in light of the fact that prior to the 2010 Commonwealth Games, she had been out injured for almost a year with hand, ankle, and groin injuries.[18]

On missing out on beating Strong's Commonwealth record for medals won and missing out on Gold in the floor exercise, Mitchell said: "Even though it would have been nice to have five gold medals, I think for me it would have been too perfect...And now it gives me something extra to strive for because if I had got the gold in every single event I competed in, it would have been like 'what's next?'."[18]

Mitchell next competed at the 2010 World Gymnastics Championships in Rotterdam which took place from 16–24 October 2010. She finished 6th with the Australian team and finished 6th in the all-around.[19] She then won gold in the floor exercise,[5][20] which was the first world championship for a female Australian gymnast - Philippe Rizzo being the only male Australian artistic gymnast to win a world championship, having won the high bar at the 2006 World Championships in Aarhus, Denmark.[1][20] She also finished fourth on the balance beam.[20]

On winning Gold at the World Championships, Mitchell stated, "I had to look at the score again...I think I nearly started crying. It didn't feel like my routine was so good but obviously it was... Coming from the beginning of the year and not competing at any events until the Commonwealth Games, it is a fantastic feeling".[20] She added: "I wanted to prove on the floor that I belonged in the top three...I wanted to prove to the judges that Australia is up there with the world...I know I had a few landing errors...But my leaps and jumps were pretty good. I'd never done a triple pivot in a floor routine before, so that was a first...I thought I'd come fourth again...I had to look twice at the scoreboard. I thought it was a 14.6. Then when I realised it was a 14.8, and I knew that the Russian had got a 14.7, I had to think. Is an eight more than a seven? I was in shock".[21] Western Australian Institute of Sport gymnastics program manager, Liz Chetkovich, believed failing to win Gold in the floor exercise at the 2010 Commonwealth Games and to take Lori Strong's Commonwealth record in terms of medals won was the motivational force behind Mitchell's World Championships success, stating: "For her, not having the icing on the cake was a very good thing...It was a real motivator for her, and fortunately it helped her put her technique together when it really counted. In the end, it was a stunning victory".[20]

Mitchell (second-from-left) with Kate Lundy and Australian Olympic teammates

At the DTB Pokal World Cup in Stuttgart, Germany, in November 2010, Mitchell won gold on the floor (14.275), beam (15.325), and uneven bars (14.150). In doing so, she became the first Australian gymnast to win three gold medals at a single World Cup event.[22] Commenting on Mitchell's achievement, Australian women's head coach, Peggy Liddick, stated: "When she won floor tonight, I thought that’s fantastic she’s backed up her world championships performance. That almost means as much as the world championships because it just proves that she’s not a one hit wonder, that she’s a consistent performer and she can go in three weeks later and back herself up. Her beam score of 15.375, which is a normal beam routine for her, would have been enough for a gold medal at the world championships. We were both so disappointed with the scoring at worlds, we thought Lauren did a great job but she just didn’t get that score. So that just proves she is also a medal contender on beam. And the bars are not her best event and there was no pressure on her because we weren’t expecting her to medal. She’s had a bit of a sore shoulder and hasn’t done much training on bars, and we were even thinking about pulling her out to give that shoulder a rest. But she opted to stay in and she did the best bars routine she’s done all year. Last night was a success, not only because she won the medals, but it was a statement that she’s a true professional, that she loves her gymnastics and when she goes out she can back herself up. Keep that history book open, just love the achievements that we’re making at the moment."[22]

Mitchell next competed at the Glasgow grand prix world cup event in late November 2010 where she won 2 further gold medals on beam (14.675) and in the floor exercise (14.800). She also won bronze on the uneven bars (13.725).[23] Mitchell said of all her achievements that: "It's been an amazing few months, not only for me but for the whole Australian Team. The Commonwealth Games was a great chance for us all to compete in a big event and get experience ahead of the World Championships, which were the big aim for the whole Team. To qualify for the next step of the Olympic Qualifications was key so we were really happy with that and then of course for me to win the Floor title was just the icing on the cake — the day just went perfectly for me and I was amazed to get the title! From there I've been really hectic traveling to lots of events, which have given me great experience. Here in Glasgow, I've been really happy with my performance and the two titles as the equipment wasn't what I was used too so it shows that I can adapt and work in a range of environments which is important and shows I'm developing. Traveling to all these events is great but what really keeps me going is knowing that I have some amazing support from back home in Australia, it makes me job much easier knowing people are supporting me."[23]

On 5 March 2011, Mitchell competed in the AT&T American Cup at Jacksonville, Florida where she finished sixth in the all-around competition.[24]

In an interview with Alexa Ainsworth from Universal Sports, Mitchell said of her preparations for the 2012 Olympics that Australian head coach, Peggy Liddick "doesn't like us making too many changes the year of the Olympics, so most of the changes will be this year and if it's not stable than we won't do it. If we're going to put in upgrades it will be this year".[25]

At the Japan Cup in Tokyo in early July 2011, Mitchell came fourth in the all-around with a combined score of 53.750, debuting her new floor routine in the process. She also finished fourth with the Australian team in the team competition.[26]

Later in July 2011, Mitchell won gold on the all-around, the vault, the beam, and in the floor exercise at the Australian National Championships.[27][28]

After selection trials during 17–18 September 2011, which took place at the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra, Mitchell was selected for the Australian team to compete at the 2011 World Championships which will be taking place in Tokyo from 8–16 October 2011. During the trials, Mitchell's standout performance was a score of 15.300 on the vault.[29] She earned a gold medal in the floor event.[6]

As a member of the 2012 Australian senior squad, she was coached by Peggy Liddick.[5][30][31]

At the 2012 Australian Gymnastics Championships in Sydney, she did not compete in the all around competition.[32][33] On the floor and beam events, she earned scores of 9.000 which gave her first-place finishes in both events.[32][33][34] The event was part of the Australian national team Olympic qualifying process.[32]

At the 2012 Pacific Rim Championships, she finished sixth in the all around competition.[6]

In 2012, she had some shoulder issues.[5]

In mid-June 2012, she was one of twelve Australian gymnasts vying to earn a final spot on the Olympic squad at a training session for the national team at the Australian Institute of Sport.[31][35]

On 21 June 2012, she was formally named to the Australian women's artistic gymnastics team that would represent Australia at the 2012 Summer Olympics.[1][5][6][30] Her Olympic training preparations included learning how to deal with flash photography with strobe lighting used at practice and being exposed to distracting noises.[7][30]

Going into the Olympic Games, she did not feel any additional pressure to perform well.[3] Her goal was to make the finals in the individual all around event.[3] The venue for the gymnastics at the Games was one where Mitchell won two silver medals at an event in 2009.[7]