Big win for gym club at Midlands

SUCCESS INVERTED: Genna Maples, 11, competes on the uneven bars at the Midlands championships, which she won in her division.PHOTO/TOM DEW 25072014WCSUPGYM1

They were a small team but the Wanganui Boys & Girls Gym Club members made a big impact at the Midlands gymnastics championships last weekend.

Three club members competed in the two-day event at Rotorua, and head coach Kelly Taylor-Ward said they performed very well against clubs from the mid and upper North Island.

"The standard of gymnastics was very high with some athletes having competed internationally in their respective divisions," she said.

"The head men's judge at the championships, Ken Bow, has been selected to judge at the Commonwealth Games."

Young athlete 11-year-old Genna Maples finished first overall in the women's step 7 division.

She won the bar and vault events, while coming third on the floor and beam in the apparatus finals.

In the women's step 9 division, Millie Manning was second overall, having achieved third placings on the vault, bar, and beam, while coming second on floor.

New Zealand under-14 development squad member Jonathan Maples was second overall in the level 7 competition.

He was very successful in the apparatus finals, placing third on pommel, winning the parallel bars, second on vault, winning on rings, third on floor and second on high bar.

Between them the three brought home a total of 17 medals.

They have spent the week training hard for their next competition in Hawke's Bay, which starts today.