“Competing at the World Championships last year, was definitely my biggest achievement,” said Heather Marshall, the youngest gymnast in Great Britain’s team.
Last year’s World Championships in Tokyo, were the first major competition for the young 16-year-old. Her 23rd place finish is just the beginning, as she hopes to make the squad again this year: “For this year, I want to get the results to qualify for the Great Britain squad again. This would allow me to represent my country in international competitions.”
However, Marshall was not always this decisive and determined, especially in the beginning. “I remember watching my teammates who were already elite and that just inspired me to go all the way,” she recalls.”
She also remembers being nervous and shy when she was just starting. “I was really shy and not comfortable in the beginning, but being around my friends and teammates helps a lot,” she says. She trains for about three-four hours in the evening for about five times a week.
Being an elite gymnast does bring other challenges, especially with school. She says: “It is not easy to manage time with school and training. I usually try to do the most I can in the mornings, but it is hard. When I’m in competition, I take everything with and do my homework and study in between sessions.”
While double-mini trampoline is not part of the Olympic program, she is confident that with promoting the discipline further will help, and hopefully it will be part in the future.
Nevertheless, Marshall is still excited to see the Olympics this summer, since she competed at the same arena in early December 2019. “It will definitely be fun to see where we competed because the arena is massive,” she says about the Ariake Gymnastics Centre.
She will be looking forward to represent Great Britain at other major international competitions. The major competition this year for trampoline gymnasts is the European Championships in Sweden between May 7th and May 10th.
You can listen to her advice here:
