Bright Young Things

The future of British Gymnastics (Part 2)

In Part 1 of Bright Young Things (click here to read) I looked at some of GB's up and coming junior gymnasts who are hoping to make an impression on the future of British Gymnastics, and have their eyes firmly set on Rio 2016. In Part 2 I will look at some of the younger, but nevertheless equally remarkable, espoir gymnasts who will also be turning senior before the 2016 Olympics.

Catherine Lyons
Catherine is a beautiful young gymnast who will turn 16 and be eligible for senior competition in 2016. She has already made an impact on many gymnastic fans for her grace and artistry, and showed her talents to the full earlier this year when she became the All Around Espoir British Champion. She also qualified to the Beam and Floor finals, taking a Silver medal on Beam to go with her All Around Gold. Her beautiful style of gymnastics, especially on beam and floor has delighted many as she has grown up and she is continuing to delight us with elegant and stylish routines. I cannot wait to see more of her as she moves through the espoir and junior ranks, then into senior competition in 2016.

Ellie Downie
Ellie is the younger sister of GB gymnast Becky Downie and looks to be following in her big sister's footsteps. Ellie will turn senior in 2015 but is already showing her talent in the espoir category. Earlier this year Ellie took the Silver medal All Around in the Espoir British Championships. She also qualified to three of the four apparatus finals, finishing 7th on Floor, 4th on Bars and taking the Gold medal on Vault. She works well on all four apparatus and I have no doubt that we will see much of her over the next few years, and she will make as much of an impact on British Gymnastics as her sister Becky.

Amy Tinkler
Amy is another gymnast who will turn senior in 2015 and will turn junior next year. She has already started to make a name for herself as an espoir, taking the Bronze medal All Around at this year's Espoir British Championships. She qualified to three of the four apparatus finals, where she took a Silver medal on Vault and Bars and won the Gold medal on Beam. She has some great work on all apparatus and is definitely one to watch in the future.

With such talent amongst our young gymnasts it seems that we have a bright future in British Gymnastics, and I cannot wait to see these gymnasts in competition over the years to come.