Perfect 10s for two Blenheim gymnasts

Two young gymnasts from the Blenheim Gymnastics Club won gold with perfect scores at the recent Top of the South Gymnastics Competition held at the Trafalgar Centre in Nelson.

In the first major competition since Covid, Greta Foote, 8, and Emelia Eteveneaux, 6, both scored a ten out of ten for their bar routines at the competition, which attracted some 500 gymnasts from the top of the South Island.

‘‘That’s very uncommon. The last time that someone got a 10 was about 5 years ago,’’ Blenheim coach Heather Cresswell said.

The girls had been training at the Blenheim club for about 18 months, and only have one lesson a week.

‘‘We only have an hour a week – that is all the girls have,’’ Cresswell said.

Cresswell coached Foote, while Eteveneaux was coached by Jamie O’Connor.

The girls were now looking forward to the Marlborough Gymnastics Championships, which would be hosted by the local club and held at the Marlborough Lines Stadium on May 15-16.

Some 480 gymnasts were expected, from as far afield as Auckland.

The Blenheim Club, which according to Cresswell is the only club in New Zealand still run by volunteer coaches, runs seven days a week and coaches around 200 local children between the ages of 5 and 15.

SCOTT HAMMOND/STUFF Emelia Eteveneaux, left, and Greta Foote both won gold with perfect scores at the recent Top of the South Gymnastics Competition held in Nelson.