Manning wins silver medal

GOOD FORM: Whanganui gymnasts Crista Yum (left), WHS student Millie Manning (right) Amorangi Rayner (centre) and Amardin Firaza took their talents to the National Gymsports Championship last week.
PHOTO courtesy of Robbie Hill. 

Selection to a New Zealand team and finishing second overall to a 2014 Commonwealth Games athlete was reward for Whanganui gymnast Millie Manning's outstanding performances at the National Gymsports Championships in Invercargill last week.

Manning was one of four gymnasts from the Wanganui Boys and Girls Gym Club representing Whanganui-Manawatu at the nationals between September 28 and October 2.

Manning (17) was selected to the Step 10 New Zealand team to compete against Australia in the trans-Tasman Challenge that ran alongside the national Step 10 competition.

The Kiwi team finished third behind two Australian crews and received the trophy for the top New Zealand team.

Manning was also the silver all-around medallist on day one, finishing second behind 2014 Commonwealth Games representative, Anna Tempero.

Manning made three apparatus finals and finished third on the vault and a close second on the floor - only 0.025 points away from gold.

Wanganui Boys and Girls Gym Club head coach Kelly Taylor-Ward said first time nationals competitors Crista Yum and Amorangi Rayner (both 12) enjoyed the experience of travelling with the team which included gymnasts from Palmerston North and one gymnast from Taihape.

"Crista finished 9th on vault in the Step 5 division. A highlight for the girls was getting an autograph and photo taken with Olympic trampolinist Dylan Schmidt," Taylor-Ward said.

Level 5 gymnast Amardin Firaza (11) finished with a personal best on the vault.

"He came home inspired from watching the senior gymnasts and keen to learn new skills."

By Iain Hyndman
Wanganui Chronicle