The 2018 Trampoline, Tumbling & DMT British Championships took place at Arena Birmingham, on 22-23rd September 2018.
Having gained qualification earlier this year 18 Milton Keynes Gymnastics members were amongst over 400 gymnasts representing 80 clubs from across the UK took, competing in front of a crowd of over 3,500 at the pinnacle event of the domestic competition calendar.
Milton Keynes crowned two British Champions over the weekend, followed up with two silver medals and two bronze medals to top the medal tables for the Tumbling category. Out of the 18 gymnasts representing the club 10 managed to qualify for the finals on the Sunday.
First up on the Sunday morning was Callum Inkson, in the 9 – 10 Boys. After returning from injury Callum put up an impressive display coming away with a combined score of 89.200 finishing up in 7th Place overall.
Brooke Bedford was next up in the 9 – 10 Girls, qualifying in 2nd place Brooke made a slight mistake in the final but pulled it back with an accumulated score of 91.200 to finish her competition in 3rd place, claiming the first medal of the day.
Freddy Liggins & Oliver Pendleton were next in the 11 – 12 Boys. Oliver is new to the sport with this being his very first British Championships he held his nerves with and performed a fantastic new skill in competition with a total score of 85.000 Oliver finished in 6th Place, which is a fantastic achievement. Freddy had a lot of work to do after making a mistake during qualification, this meant he needed to step up in both execution and difficulty and that he did! Putting out a Full Twisting Double Pike somersault for the first time to finish in 4th place over all with 87.600
Naana Oppon was now up to defend her current British Title in the 11 – 12 Girls, currently the 3 x British Champion she only lead the competition by 0.3 after qualification due to a mistake during her second routine. With everything to play for in the final Naana stepped up posting a huge finals routine score of 32.100 accumulating 93.500 and becoming the 4 x British Champion.
Jake Parry was next to step out to the competition floor in the 13 – 14 Boys, This was going to be a tough fight for the podium. Jake stepped up and delivered a fantastic performance putting out the highest difficulty of the final with a double twisting double straight somersault. With an accumulated score of 91.700 Jake came away with a Bronze medal proving he is amongst the best in Great Britain.
Jack Leahy was coming into this British on high, already becoming Junior European Team Champion earlier this year in Baku, Azerbaijan. Jack was ready to put out a new routine after qualifying second into the final. Performing a very high difficulty routine for the age group he finished up in 2nd place behind his European teammate. With a huge accumulated score of 100.900 Jack brought home a silver medal and proved he is one of the top contenders heading into the 2018 World Championships in St Petersburg, Russia.
Benjamin Goodall was our final competitor in the age groups before the seniors took the stage. After five years of battling it out with Great Britain’s best athletes, Benjamin was crowned the 17 – 21 British Champion. Storming into the final with a huge score of 35.700. Ben led the competition by over five whole marks and a total score of 103.100. Battling with back injuries over the years this had been a long time coming, proving that perseverance and determination can overcome a great many things.
Ready to go next was William Breslin, competing in the senior men’s category. This was the best of the best from Great Britain, William didn’t disappoint competing two fantastic finals routines with combinations of straight and twisting. With a final accumulated score of 132.700 Will finished up in 5th place over all. William is relatively new to the senior ranks having upped his difficulty for this event, he has proved he belongs amongst the best on the senior stage.
Last but not least was Megan Kealy in the Senior Women’s category. This was the final event of the British Championships and was not one to miss. Megan was heading into this event after winning her first senior silver medal at the European Championships and team gold earlier in the year in Azerbaijan, this would be another test for Megan in the senior ranks. Heading into the final in second place by just 0.1 this would be a fantastic battle for the title of British Champion. After performing two fantastic routines and a score of 134.100 Megan came away with a silver medal sealing her place in the 2018 world championship team to go to St Petersburg, Russia. This will be her 4th senior event in her very first senior year.
Full Results:
Senior Women
Megan Kealy = 2nd Place
Senior Men
William Breslin = 5th Place
17 – 21 Men
Benjamin Goodall = 1st Place
Jacob Tuck = 9th Place
15 – 16 Boys
Jack Leahy = 2nd Place
Kai Richardson = 16th Place
13 – 14 Girls
Lucy Sullivan = 11th Place
13 – 14 Boys
Jake Parry = 3rd Place
Joe Aston = 14th Place
11 – 12 Boys
Freddy Liggins = 4th Place
Oliver Pendleton = 6th Place
11 – 12 Girls
Naana Oppon = 1st Place
Millie Dangerfield = 15th Place
9 – 10 Boys
Callum Inkson = 7th Place
9 – 10 Girls
Brooke Bedford = 3rd Place
