Pan Pacific Masters Games in sight for two Sunshine Coast gymnasts

An adult gymnast has not let epilepsy, a brain injury or surgery stop her as she chases her competition dream. Read how she’s overcome her condition here.

A Sunshine Coast woman has defied her condition to become a gymnastics star now set on competing at a major international event.

Leah Gardner, 24, started gymnastics about a year ago.

The young woman is on the spectrum, an epileptic and has an acquired brain injury after catching the flu as a baby.

She underwent brain surgery about four years ago.

Since starting gymnastics she said her gross motor skills had improved and she now had greater internal sensation.

Her miraculous development in the sport now have her eyeing off a spot in the Pan Pacific Masters Games.

Leah Gardner, 24, has not let epilepsy, a brain injury or surgery stop her as she chases her competition dream. Picture: Contributed

“Evidently my body wasn’t battling it (flu) too well and it scarred my temporal lobe,” Ms Gardner said.

The gymnast credited the sport with becoming her therapy and neurorehabilitation.

Leah Gardner, 24, performs a tumbling move during training. Picture: Contributed

“It’s the most beneficial thing out of my NDIS,” Ms Gardner said.

She said she would compete in all apparatus of beam, floor, bar and vaulting at the Gold Coast games.

“Never in my life have I done the vault until yesterday,” Ms Gardner said.

“Last week was the first time I’ve done beam so let’s see how this goes.”

The gymnast has committed to training three times a week until the competition and she said the coaching team at Impact Gymnastics in Kunda Park had been incredible.

Fellow Impact gymnast Cristina Clark will also compete in her first Pan Pacific Masters.

Ms Clark said she had reached level eight as a teenager before she quit to focus on her studies.

Gymnast Cristina Clark, 26, will compete at the Pan Masters. Picture: Patrick Woods.

The Australian gymnastics levels program, which is used to measure a gymnast’s skill level, is from level one to level 10.

The 26-year-old did not expect to perform the tricks of her younger years.

“I’m just happy to get back out on the competition floor as an adult and just compete for the fun of it,” she said.

Cristina Clark is happy to compete as an adult even though she knows she has lost some of the skills from her younger years. Picture: Patrick Woods.

The Pan Pacific Masters will bring together thousands of participants and the only entry requirement is a minimum age for each sport.

Ms Gardner said she looked forward most to being included in the competition.

“We’ll all be there together giving it a go and I think there’ll be a lot of friendships formed,” she said.