Seven young athletes from Aspiring Gymsports returned from Auckland last week with medals, final placings and plenty of experience after competing at the XP New Zealand Gymnastics Nationals as part of the Otago team.

Charlie Nisbet, Mea Allison, Stella Kearns, Harper-Rose Reid, Emma Kambe, Keira Lam and Lara Beams and “competed for Otago with pride”, Aspiring Gymsports club and community liaison Rae Paterson said.

“Everyone showed a great mindset and maintained a positive attitude while conducting themselves in the competition arena,” she said.

Charlie impressed in the male level 5 category, advancing to day two and finishing fourth overall in a field of 20. He also qualified for five apparatus finals, claiming a silver on pommel and bronze medals in vault and parallel bars.

Stella, Mea, Charlie, Lara and Keira, part of the Aspiring Gymsports team which represented Otago at the national champs.

For Mea and Stella, it was their first time on the big stage, and both overcame nerves and illness to deliver “solid routines”, Rae said.

One of the standout results came in the synchronised trampoline, where Emma and Lara won the national title and the gold medal in the female 11/12 - which Rae said was an especially remarkable achievement given it was only the third time the pair had performed the sequence together.

Keira Lam also made the final, finishing 8th alongside her Canterbury partner. 

Trampolinists Harper-Rose, Lara, Emma and Keira.

Emma went on to place fourth overall in the female 11/12 trampoline, while Harper-Rose placed ninth out of 17 competitors in the female 13/14 double mini trampoline category.

The trip also reunited the team with former club member Sami Reid, who moved to Auckland earlier this year. Sami claimed the national title and gold medal in the step 6 bar routine with a score of 14.550 out of 15.

Aspiring Gymsports thanked “all of the supporters, families and the coaching team of Ranan, Emily, Haady and Rae for their dedication to the young gymnasts”.

PHOTOS: Supplied