Surbiton Gymnasts win silver medal at acrobatic world championships - 23/07/2010

Exuberant from their final performance at Wembley Arena, members of the 2010 Britain's Got Talent Spelbound winning team Abigail Ralph and Amy Mackenzie returned home to their families for one night before flying out to Wroclaw in Poland.
The past four weeks have been a whirlwind of rehearsals, performances, training and exams for the girls, who had been selected in May to represent Great Britain in the Acrobatic World Championships in Poland.
Abigail and Amy have trained tirelessly to perfect their routines for this competition. Following three days of training in Wroclaw, the girls were ready to compete against the other 25 nations also representing their country, all hoping to qualify for the finals and win a coveted World medal.
The girls completed a very polished balance routine on the first day of competition and ended the day in second place behind the Belarussian gymnasts.
The girls knew that they had to perform a perfect dynamic routine to guarantee a place in the final on Sunday and that was exactly what they did! This was a new routine, never before performed in competition, with new leotards designed to complement the Egyptian style of music. Abi and Amy executed their routine faultlessly to score 28.25, placing them in 1st position ahead of keen rivals Russia, Belarussia and America and earning them a coveted place in the finals. To have your routine judged as ‘best in the world' was a huge confidence boost for Abi and Amy, who seemed relaxed and focused, yet excited to be through to the final.
‘I can't believe that everyone loved our new routine. The judges thought that it was the best in the world and so do I!' Amy Mackenzie, aged 12
The final took place in 40 degree heat and in front of a capacity crowd. Abi and Amy, competing for the final time in the 11-16 category, took to the floor. The arena was full of Union Jacks and cheers of encouragement, willing the girls to complete their very best routine. The routine was excellent, but judged 0.05 below the Russian pair and was awarded the silver medal. This is a remarkable achievement and a testament to hours of dedication and training each week.
‘All my dreams came true in Poland. To compete in a World Championship AND win a silver medal is my dream come true' Abi Ralph, aged 16

Fellow Surbiton gymnast Kim Hunter, aged 14, was defending her World title in Poland. Kim had won the gold medal in the World Championships in 2008, but had a new partner and was keen to impress the judges and the audience.
The competition in the Junior age groups was fierce and Kim and her partner Chris conquered nerves to complete two exceptional routines, finishing 3rd and 2nd in the qualification rounds and winning them a place in the final. Kim is a perfectionist and she and Chris have trained at a consistently high level and were well prepared for the final. Their combined routine won the second highest score of the competition and the World Championship Silver medal.