To represent your country is often considered to be the pinnacle of what can be achieved in sport, to have the national anthem sung while you wear the blue red and white on your leotard. For Ondine Achampong of Sapphire Gymnastics, that became a reality when she was selected to be part of the Great Britain gymnastics squad.
Ondine was determined to make 2018 her year, having finished 2017 as the Espoir British Champion. With hard work and commitment Ondine, upgraded her routines and polished her execution to go on to medal at both the British and English Championships. With the Great Britain national coaches clearly impressed by her performances, Ondine has now been selected to represent Great Britain on one of the biggest stages in international gymnastics, the European Championships. Part of a 5 gymnast squad, Ondine will be competing against Europe’s best, such as Italy and Russia. Having recently placed 3rd AS a team finals in an international in Italy, the girls feel confident on what can be achieved in the upcoming championships.
Coaching Ondine from Preschool age, Mel Bunyan is one of the country’s top coaches. With Mel’s expert guidance, Ondine has won multiple championships at National level for the last 5 years. Ondine and Mel have spent the last few weeks working solidly up at the national training centre in Lilleshall alongside the other gymnasts selected, perfecting their routines.
Sapphire Gymnastics would like to say how proud they are of Ondine and Mel for what they have achieved, and can’t wait to watch the European championships on the 3rd of August.
