Five Welsh Gymnasts Set For British Championships Debut . . . As Countdown To Birmingham Begins

By Carl Field

Five Welsh women’s artistic gymnasts and Birmingham 2022 hopefuls will make their senior bows at the British Championships in Liverpool this week.

For Jea Maracha and Poppy Stickler, it comes just four months after proudly standing on the all-around podium as juniors at the 2021 Women’s Artistic British Championships.

Maracha, 16, placed second in the junior all-around in Guildford back in November, as well as taking gold on uneven bars.

Whitchurch High School pupil Stickler, 15, bagged bronze in the all-around as well as taking the vault and floor titles.

Mali Morgan, who does not turn 16 until the end of October, also rounded off her junior career in style, too, as she took the beam crown, performing a beautiful routine with high difficulty.

And now the Clwb Cymru Caerdydd trio, along with fellow Commonwealth Games Long Listers Sofia Micallef (also Clwb Cymru Caerdydd) and Mia Evans (Park Wrekin) are this week preparing to step out on to the competition floor alongside the best senior women’s artistic gymnasts in Britain at the M&S Bank Arena.

 

The 2022 Gymnastics British Championships is just around the corner and Men’s Artistic Gymnast, Emil Barber, has his sights set on a medal.

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The showpiece artistic event on the domestic calendar in Britain takes centre stage once again in Liverpool from 24th-27th March for the first time since 2019.

Covid-19 forced its cancellation in 2020 while last year, the men’s and women’s events were staged separately in Cardiff and Guildford, respectively.

Maracha (originally Phoenix GC) got her senior career off to a dream start at the Welsh Artistic Championships in Cardiff at the end of last month, winning the all-around title.

There was also gold for Maracha on uneven bars and balance beam, while she also won the open all-around category and then returned on day two to win Welsh women’s masters gold on uneven bars.

“To win the Welsh title honestly just felt amazing,” said Maracha, who attends Corpus Christi High School.

“I’m definitely really excited to compete at my first British Championships as a senior gymnast. 

 

“I’ve got some new tumbles which I’m hoping to compete in Liverpool, so people watching can look out for them.”

2021 British all-around champion, Ondine Achampong, is looking forward to next week 🇬🇧

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“This is my first year as a senior, which is a big step up from junior level. It also feels unreal that I am competing against some amazing gymnasts – and especially some who I look up to and who have inspired me.

“One of my main goals for 2022 is to be selected to represent Wales at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. This is one of my biggest goals for this year and I’m hoping, with hard work and dedication, I can put myself in a good position to be selected for the team.

“Another one of my goals is to get selected for the senior British squad as this would be a great opportunity to train with some of the best gymnasts in Great Britain.”

Stickler (originally Capital), took silver in the all-around and gold on the floor at the Welsh.

Fifteen-year-old Micallef (originally CCYC) was vault champion at the Welsh while Morgan (originally Capital) picked up a Welsh women’s masters gold on beam.

Wrexham-born Evans, meanwhile, who turns 16 next month, is also excited about her first British as a senior.

She was second in the espoir all-round competition the last time the British was held in Liverpool three years while also won gold on vault and floor.

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She also says it would be a dream come true if she were to secure her place on Team Wales for this summer’s Games.

Evans said: “It’s always great competing at the British Championships, but I feel very proud that I will now be stepping out on to the floor as a senior with gymnasts I’ve looked up to and admired for many years growing up.

“I have dreamt of being in the Commonwealth Games since I was a little girl. When I started gymnastics at Park Wrekin, I would walk down the corridor to gym looking at pictures of Georgie Hockenhull competing in the Commonwealth Games and thinking I want to do that one day.

“It would mean so much to me to be selected as part of Team Wales. I am very proud to be Welsh and to compete for my country alongside my friends and teammates – that’s what dreams are made of!”

In Guildford last year, the senior women’s title was won by Ondine Achampong (Aylesbury), while injury will prevent Swansea’s Holly Jones from defending her senior British vault title – which she won for the second time four months ago.

There will also be plenty of Welsh interest in the younger women’s artistic age categories, including 2022 Welsh junior champion Ruby Evans of Clwb Cymru Caerdydd, who defends her British crown in the junior event (14-15 years).

Back in November, Ruby (originally Cardiff Olympic) led a Clwb Cymru Caerdydd 1-2-3 in the all-around competition and followed that up with two more medals – bagging bronze on both vault and beam.

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In the espoir category (12-13 years), Jemima Taylor (Clwb Cymru Caerdydd) will defend her beam and floor titles.

Originally from the City of Newport Gymnastics Academy, Taylor has been training at Sport Wales National Centre under the guidance of the national coaches since the age of seven.

Joining Taylor will be two other Clwb Cymru Caerdydd gymnasts in Ffion Burgum (originally Fusion Gymnastics) and Ellie Lewis (originally Pen Y Bont Gymnastics Club) – who last month was crowned Welsh espoir all-around champion, while she also won gold on vault and bars.

Last year the espoir all-around title was won by Tiegan Trafford (Abingdon).