GYMNASTICS The best of British

Jul 9 2008

Heathrow Gymnastic Club took on the best of Britain last week and came home with 12 medals and six national titles.

Their impressive haul from the British Individual Gymnastics Championships in Guildford confirmed Heathrow, based in Green Lane, Hounslow, as one of the country's top clubs.

Top of the pile was Rebecca Wing, whose performance earned her a place in the Great Britian team for the Beijing Olympics, as revealed in last week's Chronicle.

Teenage sensation Wing, who has been sitting her GCSEs alongside taking part in Olympic trials, landed a silver all-round medal as well as bronze in the bars.

One of her trainers at Heathrow, Michele Walduck, will accompany her to China as team coach.

Wing said: "It's absolutely amazing to be selected. After so much pressure in the trials, I'm just relieved.

"We've got a really good group of girls in the team that get on so well, so I'm confident we'll put in a good performance in Beijing."

Two other of Heathrow's young Olympic hopefuls, who are being hotly tipped for selection for London 2012, shone at the Championships.

Nicole Hibbert won the national all-round junior title as well as junior gold in the vault, beam and floor events, while Danusia Francis took all-round silver as well as silver in the bars and floor.

Hibbert and Francis are both members of the GB National Junior squad and competed in the European Junior Championships.

More medals came for Heathrow's Laura Mitchell, who won gold in the asym-metric bars and bronze on the beam in the British Espoir Championships, and Loriah James, who won gold on the floor.

Coach Vince Walduck said: "I'm absolutely delighted - we couldn't have dreamt for any more.

"We thought we would be in with a shout, but they excelled themselves."