Olympics target for English champ Ebony

BRILLIANT Macclesfield gymnast Ebony Gaddum has been crowned English Champion for ages 10 and 11.

The King’s School pupil now has her sights set on the senior British championships which she can qualify for at the age of 13 and ultimately dreams of the Paris Olympics in 2024 and the Los Angeles event four years later.

At the English championships, Ebony won gold medals with her beautiful beam and floor routines with a silver in the bars, leading to the overall gold with a solid performance in the vault.

She said: “If you want to be a top-class gymnast you have to follow your dreams, work as hard as you possibly can and, above all, listen to your coaches.”

Ebony added: “I love the beam, in particular, because I am as yet quite small and that’s an advantage but I hope when I do grow some more I will take the new challenges that will present in my stride and it will just click.”

From one of Macclesfield’s most famous textile families, the power house young athlete possesses mesmeric speed and agility and believes practice makes perfect, training up to 27 hours a week to hone her skills, travelling to Sandbach for world class coaching.

Ebony added: “It does take a lot of time, but my mum and dad are wonderful and King’s is very supportive helping me to catch up with school work.”

Ebony is following in the footsteps of King’s former world class gymnast Jennifer Pinches who competed in the London Olympics in 2012 before earning a prized scholarship in American academia.

Ebony said: “I have heard a lot about Jenny and I’d love to emulate her achievements.”