Maddie Whiting would agree with the statement hard work pays off.
Maddie, 14, is one of the brightest young gymnasts at Migs Gym in Rotorua.
The Rotorua Lakes High School student trains up to five nights a week at the gym and recently recorded her best finish overseas.
Representing New Zealand for the first time, Maddie placed first overall in her division, for artistic gymnastics, during an invitational event in Singapore earlier this month.
Maddie explained the win did not come easy though.
"We had to go through a qualifying competition in Auckland and it was whoever qualified went through [into the New Zealand team]."
She said she had been working hard on her routines as well, often spending most nights down at Migs Gym.
"It has changed a lot but I train four to five nights a week. For gymnastics you have to train a lot to do well." Maddie flew to Singapore with 10 other gymnasts from across New Zealand.
She said about 25 to 30 competitors were in her division (level seven) for artistic gymnastics, which includes four disciplines - vault, bar, beam and floor.
"I started on beam. I had fallen on the beam at nationals so I was quite nervous because I did not want a repeat of nationals. But it was pretty good." She placed second.
Her favourite event came next, the floor.
"I like it because you get to dance and stuff," she said.
"It was a really good floor [routine] up until my last tumble and I fell. If I did not fall I would have won I think."
It meant she had to record two good scores on the vault and bar.
She did just that, recording the best scores in both events.
As a result, she took out first place overall.
Maddie said her goal going into the event was just to do the best she could, so she was rapt to win.
"It was not what I expected," she said.
"I just wanted to have fun and try hard."
She said her goal for the future was just to keep going with the sport.