Local Sports Star Phoebe Badelles a talented gymnast

PHOEBE Badelles was just a child when Lauren Mitchell and the Australian gymnastic team qualified for the Beijing Olympics.

Gymnast Phoebe Badelles has raised the bar/

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PHOEBE Badelles was just a child when Lauren Mitchell and the Australian gymnastic team qualified for the Beijing Olympics.

They might not have won a medal, but they did win over Phoebe, who was certain from that moment on that she would be a gymnast.

“I remember seeing the Olympics and turning to my parents and saying ‘I want to do that’, I wanted to do gymnastics,” the 15 year old from Quakers Hill said.

“The thrill of it is still so strong for me; it’s intense but so worth it.”

At the most recent senior state championships at the Sydney Gymnastic and Aquatic Centre at Rooty Hill, Phoebe took first place in the level-nine senior division.

The championships saw the top gymnasts from NSW compete in five events, including the vault the uneven beams, the bar and the floor.

“The bar is by far my favourite,’’ Phoebe said. “You don’t really stop, you keep swinging around and get faster and faster.

“I’m getting more confident competing in the bigger championships and think that I’ll be ready for the nationals.”

Phoebe is part of the NSW team heading to Melbourne for the Australian Gymnastics Championships at the Hisense Arena from May 22.

She has been training 17 hours a week at the Sydney Academy of Gymnastics in Seven Hills.

Phoebe is this week’s Local Sports Star nominee in the individual category.

The Local Sports Star five categories include: Local Sports Star individual, Local Sports Star team, Young Sporting Spirit and Service to Sport.

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