Olympic Sport: Rhythmic Gymnastics

Home Town: Canterbury

Club: City of Canterbury Rhythmic Gymnastics Club

Career highlights

2011: English Senior Champion overall and in all four apparatus.
2011: Competed in the European Championship in Minsk.
2011: British Championships – achieved silver overall. Silver in hoop & ball, and gold in clubs & ribbon.
2011: Maintained position of British No2.
2010: Achieved three silver medals in the inpidual apparatus competition at the British Championships (Senior age group category).
2009: Selected to represent England at the World Schools Championships in Qatar.
2009: Achieved four golds in the national inpidual apparatus competition.
2009: Achieved silver medal overall in her age group, and in the inpiduals achieved gold in ball and clubs, silver in rope and bronze in hoop at the British Championships.
2009: Represented GB at the Australian Youth Olympic Festival. Achieved inpidual silver medal and team bronze medal.

How did you get into Rhythmic Gymnastics?

I was 8 when I started at my local gymnastics club one Saturday morning. Initially it was just about having fun with other girls began to take it more seriously as time went on.

What does a normal day look like to you?

I’m still at school and just been taking my GCSE’s so life is pretty busy at the moment. I train for about 4-5 hours a day, I’m really lucky in that my school allow me to train in the sports hall when I don’t have any lessons. Depending on what I have on that day, but it can be up to 5 hours a day of training or competing. Weekends are mainly travelling around the country competing.

What are your highlights so far?

I won the British Championships in 2006 with my younger sister, I’ve competed for GB at Junior European Level and I was named Junior Champion in 2008. Going to the Australian Youth Olympic Festival (AYOF) in Sydney was also pretty amazing. I was also involved in spearheading a campaign with Haven Holidays to encourage little ones to exercise which was a bit weird but something that I was proud to be involved with. The scheme provides free sports equipment to nurseries and playgroups including around a dozen in the Canterbury area.

What are your hopes for the future?

I’d love to get to compete at the London 2012 games. I missed out on the Commonwealth Games due to a series of more complex new routines and then not performing at the best of my ability. One of my key aims is to become British Number 1. That belongs to Francesca Jones who has been the British No1 for 5 years and there is only one guaranteed place in both the individual and group events. The Russians are the best in the world and are just so much better than everyone else but just to compete would be a dream. I have the World Championships in France in September which will have a major factor on who gets to London.

Want to get into Rhythmic Gymnastics?

For further information about the City of Canterbury Rhythmic Gymnastics Club please visit www.canterbury-rgc.btik.com