Gymnastics: Gymnasts show off their talent

TWELVE months of hard work paid dividends for eight members of Uttoxeter Gymnastics Club at the West Midlands Regional Championships Level Five.

Despite never before competing in the Birmingham championships, the young gymnasts produced a series of impressive results on floor, beam, vault and uneven bars.

In the 11 and 12 years category, Sammi Johnson collected bronze for third overall.

The talented gymnast enjoyed an excellent all-round competition with a sixth-place finish on vault, third on bars, seventh on beam and second on floor.

Ellie Dowdney posted a creditable 10th overall out of 20 competitors in the same section.

Rosie Golicki was awarded the highest score on beam (12.400) in the nine and 10 years section and finished just outside the medals with fourth overall.

Hannah Kilford impressed on floor in the same age group and posted the third highest score (12.600) on her way to 23nd overall. She finished one place behind team-mate Kay Goulden, who was 22nd out of 71 competitors.

In the 'in age' section, Ellie Lomas shone on bars to take fourth (11.700) and 18th overall. Alice Malbon finished inside the top 15 overall and took seventh on bars (11.600). In a highly competitive section – featuring 61 gymnasts – Shiri Green finished 22nd overall.

The Uttoxeter results are even more impressive because the gymnasts came up against youngsters from rival clubs such as Stoke, Birmingham and Wolverhampton, which have numerous years' experience competing at regional championships.

Uttoxeter Gymnastics Club's director of coaching, Vikki Sylvester, hailed the achievements of the talented juniors.

She said: "This puts Uttoxeter firmly in the mix of top women's artistic Gymnastics within the region and is a great step towards the club's overall plan to have gymnasts competing at national level."