Local gymnasts once again enjoyed success at the Gloucestershire Classic Challenge Gymnastics Championships, their Forest of Dean Gymnastics Club team of four winning gold, silver and bronze, reports LYNN HAMMERSLEY.

Ross-on-Wye’s Anastasia Shaporto, 13, set the tone for the day at the Five Acres gymnastics centre, competing at the zinc level.

Supported by her team mates she came second on beam and third on bars in a group of 12.

She was then delighted to make the podium with a well-deserved bronze medal overall.

Three girls from the club competed in the afternoon’s Copper level, and all looked stylish and confident as they started on beam.

Fellow Ross gymnast Daisy Middleton’s elegant beam and floor routines earned her second place on each.

She then followed this with first on bars with a tight flowing bar routine, before topping it by winning the gold medal overall.

Hannah Roberts from Monmouth had similar success taking first on both beam and floor with great artistry and skills and enjoyment on floor, and placed second on vault with a dynamic half on, half off.

Iris James, had a good all-round competition apart from beam where two falls cost her a podium place.

Her floor showed sparkling artistry and earned fourth place.

The team followed that up last week by winning the third and final competition of the 2022 West Country League held at Melksham in Wiltshire.

The Forest of Dean Club girls were amazed and ecstatic as they mounted the podium to receive their gold medals and 10 points as the winners.

Further delight followed when their win also ensured they were on the podium with second overall, so adding silver medals and a trophy to bring home.

An additional triumph was that the club also took the top three overall places.

Hannah Roberts won the competition overall with Daisy Middleton a close second and Katie Pugh in third.

Teams of six gymnasts compete in three League competitions each year with points awarded for their competition placings, with the teams’ two best results combining to determine the year’s winners.

At each competition, the top four scores on each apparatus are added to form a team total.

Hannah Roberts won both floor and beam, the latter securing the highest score of the day.

The team had looked nervous as they started the competition on vault but on moving to asymmetric bars they soon got into their stride.

A dynamic and purposeful warm-up soon paid off as Daisy and Katie stormed into joint first with scores of 11.55.

As always, the girls all showed expressive routines on floor with a range of tumbles.

Iris James’ artistic beam and lively floor routine ensured that she took second place on floor and third on beam, just behind Hannah.

Eloise Smith and Lexie Childs completed the team. Both competed well but falls on beam lowered their scores.

At the end of a busy competition season the girls and their coaches, Lynn Hammersley and Tom Elliott, were well rewarded for their hard work.