Tara Murray
Melton West Primary school student Kayla Bryant came home with two medals from her first Junior Victorian Gymnastics Championships.
Bryant competed in the level 5, division 3 competition competing in four events in late October.
She won a silver medal on the vault, finished fourth on the beam and sixth on the floor. Her performance scored her second place overall.
Kayla was stunned by her results.
“When they first called my name I was in absolute shock, although I hoped I would have a chance I didn’t think I would actually get something,” she said.
“I was so excited and proud of myself knowing that I was second best in the state at my level.
“When my mum first told me that I would be competing against 70-80 kids, I thought I had no chance. Only after my performances, that’s when I felt a little more confident.“
Kayla, who represented Melton Gymnastics Academy, said she was happy with her performances but felt that she could have gone better on some events.
She said she was proud anyway being her first championships.
Kayla started gymnastics when she was seven before joining Melton Gymnastics last year having had a break over Covid.
This is her first year doing competition and she currently trains 12 hours a week.
She looks up to Simone Biles.
“I like that she has her own skills that are named after her, and she is short like me,” she said. “She has a lot of natural talent. I also like Emily Whitehead from the Australian Olympic team.“
Looking ahead, Kayla is excited about competing in future events and moving up to level 6.
“I would like to develop my skills and see how far I can go in gymnastics, and if I do go far I would like to get into the elite levels and even compete in the Olympics,“ she said.
