A SQUAD of junior gymnasts have leapt to victory to be crowned the best in the region.
The team of six tumblers from Reid Street Academy competed against teams from across Darlington and Teesside to take the gold medal in the Key Stage 2 regional gymnastic finals.
The competition, which required each team member to demonstrate a floor routine and vault saw Darlington athletes Ryan Chapman, Jessica Lewis-Kell, Jessica Briggs, Amy Manning, Tia Hoare and Anna Gibson, become the overall champions.
Year 6 teacher Debbie Hancock said: “We are really overwhelmed that our students performed so well. It is such a prestigious competition to win.”
To reach the finals the six young gymnasts took home the gold medal from the local round of the competition, held at Darlington School of Mathematics and Science, beating five other primary schools from across the borough.
They then secured a silver medal, over six other finalists, in the area round of the contest at Longfield School, before adding to their medal haul by taking first place in the regional finals at Haughton Education Village.
Gymnast Anna Gibson, 11, of Darlington, said: “The first round of the competition was quite easy and we were really pleased to win.
“The second round was a lot harder and we were happy to get the silver as there were a lot of good teams there. But we didn’t expect to get anything at the regional finals and were really shocked when they called out our name as the winners.”
Amy Manning, 11, of Darlington, added: “I’ve being doing gymnastics since I was three and really like taking part in competitions.
“This is the third time our school has won the Key Stage 2 finals and it was great being part of the team.”
