EK girl is British champ but left out of squad

British trampoline champion Pam Clark is “absolutely devastated” after being left out of the squad for next month’s Rio Olympics.

The 20-year-old, from St Leonards, won the British senior title in Liverpool last week and seemed certain to get the nod for Brazil. However, Pam’s dad Robert revealed the family endured “a night of tears” after a phone call from British Gymnastics on Monday evening delivered the bombshell news. Kat Driscoll and Bryony Page – who Pam finished ahead of in five out of six major competitions this season – will take the two berths for female trampolinists at the Games. Pam, who is down as the first reserve for the Olympic team, was too upset to speak to the News after yesterday’s official announcement but Robert said: “We are all absolutely shattered by this. “How on earth can someone who has just won the British Championships – and ranked No.1 in Britain – not be selected for the Olympics? “We had a night of tears, struggling to understand how she hasn’t made it. She deserves to be going. “Pamela is devastated because if British Gymnastics had stayed true to their word and based their selection on results, then she felt she had done enough to secure h e r p l a c e f o r Te a m GB – especially after winning the British Cha mpi o n s h i p last week where she beat t he other t wo O l y mpi c trialists.”

Pam moved to Liverpool in September 2013 to pursue her Olympic d r e a ms, h av i n g s t a r t e d o u t a t E a s t Kilbride Trampoline Club when she was at primary school.

And last year she made the decision to defer for a year from her third-year studies at Liverpool’s John Moore’s University, where she is studying to become a PE teacher, to trial for an Olympic place.

Robert says it’s a decision she would not change and added: “The experience of t ravelling and competing at World Cup qualifiers i n Azerbaijan, Beijing, Shanghai and Italy along with winning a European Gold medal at the European Championship in Spain and competing at the World Championships in Denmark is something she will always cherish.”

After last week’s British title triumph, t he Cl a r k f a mil y were making g ra nd plans to watch their daughter realise her dreams in Rio.

But Rober t admits even i f s he was s omehow c a l l e d upon t o re pl a c e a n athlete, t heir hopes of watching Pam perform on the biggest stage of all are lost.

He said: “If she was to be picked at the last minute now, we wouldn’t be able to go.

“We just couldn’t organise it all. We are devastated.”

Last week Pam told the News what it would mean to reach Rio, saying: “I’ve worked my whole life to get to this stage and being part of the Olympics would be a dream come true.”

A spokeswoman for British Gymnastics said: “Given the strength of the women’s t r a mpoli ne s q u a d a nd t h e abilities of three trampoline gymnasts to make the Olympic final with only two places available, the selection decision was extremely difficult.

“The f i nal deci s i on c a me down t o selecting the two athletes best placed to deliver the GB Olympic medal target.”