A group of young gymnasts from Ellan Vannin Gymnastics Club represented the Isle of Man at the British Gymnastics National Finals in Stoke-on-Trent recently.

The quartet, aged between nine and 11 years old, delivered outstanding performances on a national stage and brought a couple of medals back to the island for their efforts.

The National Finals for the performance grades is a qualifier-only event, bringing together the top five gymnasts from each of the 14 regions across the UK.

Simply qualifying is a major achievement and, competing at the minimum allowed age for their grade, the Isle of Man girls rose to the occasion with poise and skill.

In performance grade one, Jessica Shannon, Ava Quirk and Chelsea D'Ottavio competed as a team.

Normally, a full team consists of five gymnasts, with four competing on each apparatus and the top three scores counting toward the team total.

The four Isle of Man gymnasts - Jessica Shannon, Ava Quirk, Chelsea D'Ottavio and Lora Markova - with their coaches Stacey Saltwell-Garrett and Jenny Harris
The four Isle of Man gymnasts - Jessica Shannon, Ava Quirk, Chelsea D'Ottavio and Lora Markova - with their coaches Stacey Saltwell-Garrett and Jenny Harris (-)

As only three gymnasts qualified from the island, all of their scores had to count, leaving no margin for error.

Despite this, the trio performed clean routines across the board and achieved a significant team milestone by improving the Isle of Man’s team ranking by two places compared to last year - an impressive result.

There were standout individual results among the performance one gymnasts, out of 55 competitors: Ava earned a joint fifth place on bars; Jessica placed 18th on bars and 22nd on range and conditioning; and Chelsea achieved a personal best on bars and beam, exceeding her result from the Isle of Man qualifiers.

In performance grade two, Lora Markova, being the only gymnast who qualified from the Isle of Man, competed as an individual and delivered an exceptional performance. Among 53 competitors, she placed: 15th on vault, 15th on bars, and 11th on floor; third on range and conditioning, and second on beam, missing the top spot by only 0.1 points.

Her results on beam and range and conditioning earned her two British Gymnastics medals - an incredible accomplishment and a proud moment for the island and the club.

Lora also achieved a personal best overall score, higher than her Isle of Man qualifying result.

The girls were accompanied at the event by their coach Stacey Saltwell-Garrett and coach Jenny Harris. Their guidance and support were instrumental throughout their preparation and the competition.

The club and coaching team are extremely proud of the girls’ achievements, their dedication and the way they represented the Isle of Man on a national stage.

As the club continues to support its young gymnasts in reaching the highest levels of competition, Ellan Vannin Gymnastics Club is actively seeking sponsors to help with training, travel and competition costs.

The Ellan Vannin Gymnastics Club quartet of Jessica Shannon, Ava Quirk, Chelsea D'Ottavio and Lora Markova with their performance certificates after impressing at the British Gymnastics National Finals in Stoke-on-Trent
The Ellan Vannin Gymnastics Club quartet of Jessica Shannon, Ava Quirk, Chelsea D'Ottavio and Lora Markova with their performance certificates after impressing at the British Gymnastics National Finals in Stoke-on-Trent (-)

SPONSORSHIP

Anyone inspired by the team’s achievements and keen to support grassroots sport on the Isle of Man can get in touch at [email protected]

For more information about the club – which is based at the National Sports Centre IN Douglas – visit its website which can be found at https://www.ellanvanningymnastics.co.uk/