A TALENTED local gymnast who was selected to compete with Team GB earlier this month in Portugal has returned proud to have achieved a sixth place in his first international competition.

Finley Paul (16), of Sandford, has just finished his GCSE’s at Queen Elizabeth’s School in Crediton.

His mum, Rachel Vowles, recently asked people and businesses in the local community if they could support Finley in his journey with Team GB.

A Crowdfunder helped to pay towards his travel expenses and kit, for which he was very grateful, and on his return he was also thrilled to receive a cheque towards his training costs from the Rotary Club of Crediton Boniface.

Rachel said about Finley: “As long as he has been able to walk Finley has been involved in competitive gymnastics.

“As a younger lad he was part of the South West Gymnastics Squad via Exeter Gym Club and achieved bronze position at the National Age Finals in 2016.

“After a difficult time with a change of coach, Finley moved over to trampoline gymnastics and specifically the double mini trampoline (DMT), an explosive form of gymnastics that involves a long run up (like a gymnastics vault) to a small angled trampoline onto which he jumps and then flies in the air landing in a small boxed space on the other side.

“He now trains with Exeter Trampoline Academy at Sowton in Exeter. He has been training in either artistic or trampoline gymnastics four days-a-week since he was eight years-old, racking up between 12 and 15 hours-a-week 50 weeks-a-year.”

Rachel added: “In the last year has had something of a meteoric rise, being invited to join the Junior England Squad back in September and then being invited to join the Junior Team GB Squad in December.

“We are exceptionally proud of him and all of his hard work in getting to this stage.

“He attends Squad training camps at Lilleshall National Sports Centre near Telford at least six times per year to train with his squad and also frequently visits Olga Gymnastics in Poole where he trains with one of the GB coaches there.

“He has his first competition with Team GB in July this year in Portugal at the Scalabis Cup and is expected to compete for Team GB at the World Championships in Bulgaria in November.”

Rachel said she estimates it costs about £10,000 each year to complete his training and competitions.

TRAVELLING

Finley told us about his recent trip to Portugal.

He said: Travelling to Lisbon was my first time travelling for an international competition for the Scalabis Cup in Santarem. I felt nervous and excited and eager to get there to dive into the experience of representing GB and meeting all the other International gymnasts.

“The first thing I noticed was how brown everything was, temperatures in Santarem were upwards of 40 degrees and on Saturday, the day of the finals it was pushing 45 degrees!

The hotel was situated a 10 minute bus ride from the competition venue and had a vast view of the Portuguese countryside. All of the GB trampoline and tumbling squads were staying here along with athletes from other countries including Spain, Portugal and Finland.

“We had to take it in turns to train at the venue so when we weren’t training we were able to use the hotel pool which became a hub where we were able to make lots of new international friends.”

COMPETITION

“We had to compete in sweltering heat which was really uncomfortable with hundreds of people packed together, spectators and gymnasts and no air conditioning!

“The qualifying round took place on the Thursday, there were 33 gymnasts in my group. I landed both my runs (or passes as they are known in DMT) but on the second one of my special trampoline shoes flew off! Despite that I came 8th with a score of 46.500 just 0.1 behind the guy in 7th place. All top eight from qualifiers went through to the finals on Saturday.

“The final was super hot. I was first up on the runway. Due to a small error in my take off I had to sacrifice my form in order to ensure I landed on my feet but this cost me a valuable point.

“My second run was much better with a good clean run. I finished in 6th place overall, one point behind the guys in 4th and 5th place. For my first international competition I am really pleased to even have made the final.

THE NEXT STAGE

“I have just finished taking my GCSE’s at Queen Elizabeth’s and have been nursing a niggling injury in my lower leg which meant my training suffered in the lead up to the competition.

“However I am now close to full recovery and am looking forwards to full time training again through the summer and preparing and polishing my passes for the British Championships in October.

“My next training camp with GB is in September and I can’t wait to meet up with my team mates again there. I am working on competing my first ‘triple back’ flip - a backwards somersault that involves three rotations before landing.

“I continue to work on my finesse and building my strength and conditioning to help make sure I always land my passes, avoid penalties and get the high scores not just for difficulty but for execution and aesthetics too.

“I would like to thank everyone who has supported me on my journey so far. I am extremely grateful for your kind and generous donations as every single penny helps me on my way to being a world class athlete. I am so proud to represent my country with team GB.”

To see Finley in action in a short video, visit: https://youtu.be/-hqdHP3FTL0 .

Donations can also be addressed to Finley Paul, ℅ Crediton Courier, 102 High Street, Crediton EX17 3LF.

For further details, email c/o: [email protected] .

Alan Quick