Queen of the beam

Wednesday, June 4, 2008

WHILE Australia's best athletes have the 2008 Beijing Olympics firmly in their minds, former Cairns gymnast Amaya King-Koi prefers to look a bit further into the horizon.

The 13-year-old, who has been training at the Queensland Academy of Sport in Brisbane for more than two years, wants her first major international competition to be the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi.

After winning gold on the beam and three silver medals at the 2008 Australian Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Melbourne earlier this month, King-Koi looks every chance of fulfilling her dream.

King-Koi said the 32 hours of training she devoted to her sport every week had left her feeling confident before the start of the championships.

"I'd been training for them (the championships) since the start of the year," she said.

"It's been a lot a hard work but a lot of fun as well. I was really happy with how I went."

So was King-Koi's coach Belinda Wall.

The QAS Women’s Artistic Gymnastics co-ordinator said King-Koi had an enormous amount of talent and the work ethic to match.

"She did a really good job at the championships," Wall said.

"She's really stepped up in her skill level, especially on the beam where she got the medal. She's going really well."

<strong>Games on mind:</strong> Amaya King-Koi, 13, has her sights set on the 2010 Commonwealth Games.

Games on mind: Amaya King-Koi, 13, has her sights set on the 2010 Commonwealth Games.

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