This article is from page 31 of the 2008-04-08 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 31 JPG
THE gymnastics club in Shannon has been basking in glory after one of its members won a medal at a prestigious international event.
12-year-old Becky O’Donnell won a bronze medal, after she came third in the Coimbre Open in Portugal.
Becky, who is one of the top eight tumblers in Ireland, was selected to participate in the event in the wake of a string of impressive performances in Clare and the wider Munster area, over the past year.
She was delighted to come third in the Coimbre Open, where she fought off stiff competition from more than 10 other entrants, in the under-13
category.
This follows on from her success last year, when she competed in Lithuania and was placed in the top ten in a world cup event in Poland.
Her coach Elaine Ryan said Becky deserved the honours and everyone in the club was thrilled for her.
“She has been building up, with good performances in past competi- tions,’ said Ms Ryan.
“This is the first international med- al the club has every got. We are very proud,” she added.
Becky travels from her home in Kildysart for training at the Shan- non club and hopes are high that her fine achievements will encourage her club colleagues.
“There are 80 members in the club and hopefully this will encourage the others,” said Ms Ryan.
The club has been busy over the past few months and after being without a permanent home, it has re- cently secured a new base.
It is currently located at the Stone- hall Business Park, but will move to a permanent home near Newmarket- on-Fergus later this month.
“We are delighted with this. There is a great backing from the parents,” said Ms Ryan.
“Children travel from all over to the club, from as far as Gort and from Raheen in Limerick, three to four times a week,” she added.
While Becky is still absorbing her
latest success, she is already plan- ning her next trip and is hopeful that she will be selected for future inter- nationals which are due to take place throughout the year.
Her ultimate aim promises to be a huge challenge, which she is ready to tackle. “She will be hoping to go to the world championships in 2009,” said her coach. No doubt she will do her best to ensure qualification for this event.