Camden girls (above) and boys (below) including, back four, Shaquiell Grant, Owen Sims, Luke Apata and Leikaydon Fisher

Published: 6 November, 2014
by STEVE BARNETT

FANTASTIC four Luke Apata, Shaquiell Grant, Owen Sims and Leikaydon Fisher will be looking to wow the judges this weekend when they represent London at the finals of the men’s artistic gymnastics development grades in Birmingham. 

The boys have been busy sharpening their skills all this week at their home gym at the Talacre Community Sports Centre in Kentish Town. And they face six testing disciplines as they try to get to grips with the rings, the pommel horse, the parallel bars, the high bar, the vault and well-choreographed floor routines.

They will also be judged on an energy-sapping physical preparation programme. 

Luke will go into the finals in confident mood having recently won three medals at the London Open Championships.

The highly-rated 14-year-old took gold on the high bar and the vault, earning him a silver medal in the overall rankings. 

Club-mate Kamen Panayotov also shone as he won his overall competition, but as it wasn’t a qualifier for the regional finals he won’t be competing this weekend. 

Having four youngsters taking part in the West Midlands is a tremendous boon for Camden Gymnastics Club, where the boys train with coaches Steve Russo and Ivan Pastore. 

“Being selected to represent London is an amazing success for our boys,” said Ivan, who’ll be travelling to Birmingham with the boys. “They have all worked extremely hard and have made the club extremely proud.” 

The girls’ squad from Camden Gymnastics Club will also be back in action this weekend when they take part in a twin piece event at Heathrow Gym Club.

It’s already proved a successful venue for the girls, with Sophia Waller among those who returned home from their recent visit to west London for the artistic regional voluntary championships clutching medals.

Sophia won gold on the bars and the floor, helping her secure first place overall in the four-piece competition. 

Club-mate Sophie Empson also enjoyed success as she won gold on the floor and finished second overall in her category. 

Ella-Rae Quist won gold in the floor event on her way to earning a fourth-place finish. 

There was also joy for club-mates Jasmine Khabie-Zeitoune, who finished first on the bars and second overall, and Grace Wellington, who finished second overall in her category. 

Despite missing out on the medals, top trio Leona Norman, Francesca Batterstella and Annie Campbell also all performed well. 

Pick up a paper next week to find out how they all got on!