AGAINST the odds, determined Wagga gymnast Madeleine Lucas has defied enormous adversity to become level 10 NSW State Champion.
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The incredibly gifted young gymnast was awarded first place on all four apparatus, beam, bars, floor and vault, at the championships and received four gold medals and a trophy in recognition of her achievements.
Remarkably the year 11 Wagga Christian College student’s stellar achievement comes just 18 months after she suffered a potentially-career ending ankle injury.
In December 2010 Madeleine’s ankle collapsed under her after she stuck a handspring front vault at training.
“My ankle just snapped,” she said.
“I thought I would never do gymnastics again.
“I was lucky though … the doctors originally planned to put to put a screw in my ankle, which would mean I couldn’t compete anymore, but they didn’t do that so I could continue doing gymnastics.
“I was so relieved.”
Madeleine was being doing gymnastics since she was just two years old and first reached level 10 shortly before she suffered the serious ankle injury.
“This is the first year I have competed at level 10,” she said.
“It was always my goal to reach level 10.”
Not only did Madeleine finally achieve her dream of competing at the sport’s highest level, the mature and friendly teenager also ticked off two long-time goals with her success at the prestigious State Championships.
“Since I was little I have always wanted to reach level 10, win a gold medal at the state championships and become state champion,” she said.
“I couldn’t believe it when t all happened at the same competition.”
As well as training at Wagga’s Airborne Gymnastics, Madeleine has a position with the Sydney Institute of Sport.
“I have been training with the Institute, but because I am going into year 12 next year I have mainly just been training at Airborne,” she said.
“Juggling gymnastics and school means there isn’t a lot of time so it is easier to train here in Wagga.”
As she prepares to commence her Higher School Certificate, Madeleine admits her focus is shifting to her studies.
“Now that I have become state champion, my next ambition would be to start doing national gymnastics and make the national team,” she said.
“Going into year 12 that is going to be very hard, so I will probably wait until after next year to really pursue that dream.”
The popular student’s impressive
achievements at the state competition earned her strong praise from WWCC principal Hugh MacCallum, who describes Madeleine as “an inspiration to her peers”.
“She travels away on many weekends to compete in a sport that demands high
athleticism and personal character,” he said.
“This wonderful result is fitting recognition of her achievements.
“Maddie’s drive and success in gymnastics over many years is resulting in a growing number of younger students at the College becoming interested in pursuing the sport.”
The growing number of aspiring gymnasts has promoted the school to invest resources into training instructors, establishing
infrastructure and purchasing equipment to support the college’s gymnastics program.
Madeleine competed in the in the Christian School Sports Association State Gymnastics Carnival in Sydney on Saturday.