A 10-year-old Willaston girl has scooped a gymnastics gold medal at the national finals – and earned an amazing 18th place overall in Great Britain.
Darcie Laurie’s remarkable success came as she competed for NWGA (Northwest Gymnastics) at the National Finals in Guildford, Surrey.
Competing in the Women’s Artistic Gymnastics category (WAG), Darcie participated in Bars, Beam, Floor, and Vault.
She clinched an individual gold medal for her Bar routine, and secured the Vol3 Great British Champion title on BARS – seen as an exceptional achievement for a 10-year-old.
Her Northwest team also secured bronze medal, finishing 3rd overall as a region.
Darcie, a pupil at Wistaston Church Lane Academy, has now been invited to the Northwest squad for 2024 because of her achievements last year.
Proud parents Carl and Katey said: “She got the letter on January 2 which is a great start to the New Year for her!
“The Northwest call up for 2024 is a great opportunity for Darcie to stay on the elite gymnast pathway – she will be training with the best of the best in her region and Great Britain.
“Darcie has navigated through her Elite compulsory grades, a significant accomplishment, especially considering the challenges posed by COVID!
“She is scheduled to compete in her Compulsory 2 grade in March 2024, which opens the door to the British Championships.”
They also praised her high performance coach Tracy Sproat after they recently switched to Urban School of Gymnastics in Warrington.
Tracy has been her mentor since the age of 5.
Carl added: “Tracy’s guidance has played a pivotal role in shaping Darcie into the accomplished young athlete she is today.
“They make a great team! And special mention to all her old training group who made her strive for better as well as her club, Urban School of Gymnastics.”
Darcie’s training regime is a gruelling one, working four to five hour sessions five days a week, including holiday training from 9am to 3.30pm.
Yet the dedicated youngster, who is set to attend Malbank School from September, is still balancing time for classes, friends and family, including younger brothers Wilson (9) and one-year-old Otis, and sister Ella (8).
You can follow Darcie’s journey on Instagram – Gymnast_Darcie
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