Olympic gymnast Neil Wilson has taken over London's busiest shopping centre for the ten year anniversary since the London 2012 Olympics.
Neil began the sport aged five at Leeds Gymnastics Club. He went on to be crowned British Junior Champion in March 2014 and received the Young Sportsman male award at the Leeds Sports Awards. The athlete, who owns a gymnasium in Bramley, brought his stunt crew to Westfield shopping centre where they performed spectacular stunts around shoppers.
Unsuspecting shoppers were stunned to see medal winning ex-GB gymnast turn the iconic London shopping destination into his gym for the day. Surprised shoppers were stunned to see the Olympic bronze medallist turn the iconic London shopping destination into his gym for the day performing handstands down escalators, outstanding tumbles down the walkways, and backflips in the food court.
The idea was to encourage visitors to try their hand at something out of their ordinary and attempt to see if they could do some of the tricks too.
Putting the public’s abilities to the test, Nile assisted members of the public with landing backflips and other gymnastic tricks for the very first time. This also comes as London celebrates the 10 year anniversary of the start of hosting the London Olympics 2012.
Minding their own business as they explore the shops, Londoners couldn’t believe their eyes as their shopping trips became spectacles as Nile, who won an Olympic bronze medal in the men's horizontal bar at the 2016 Summer Olympics and his team of talented tumblers performed stunts such as the Human Bowling Ball, an obstacle course and air track tricks in Westfield London's Atrium.
Going head over heels for Nile and his team, Westfield London shopper, Alex, said: "I honestly only came in quickly to pick up a couple of bits and then next thing I find myself having a one-to-one session with Nile Wilson! Very impressed that he got me to land a backflip, but definitely won’t be doing it again on my own!"
Julie, visiting Westfield London for the day with her family commented: "It was so much fun seeing Nile and his talented friends have fun and perform their tricks and stunts around the centre. The kids loved it!"
Katie Wyle, General Manager at Westfield London, said: "Westfield London is a destination where visitors will experience something new and often unexpected on every visit. Yesterday’s surprise performance from Nile and his team kick-started a summer of entertainment and surprise and delight moments for our visitors. We’re delighted they chose Westfield London to show off their skills and get everyone involved."
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