Olympics star Kat Driscoll hails Apollo club's outstanding medal haul

Kat Driscoll has hailed her Apollo Trampoline Club '˜history makers' after they won a record-breaking eight medals at the Trampoline and Tumbling British Championship last weekend.
The Apollo club medallists. Back row (left to right): Isak Cornelissen, Kat Driscoll, Gary Short (coach), Rebecca Maggs, Martin Bland. Front: Molly OHalloran, Isabelle Garnham, Verity Kell, Caitlyn Turnbull.The Apollo club medallists. Back row (left to right): Isak Cornelissen, Kat Driscoll, Gary Short (coach), Rebecca Maggs, Martin Bland. Front: Molly OHalloran, Isabelle Garnham, Verity Kell, Caitlyn Turnbull.
The Apollo club medallists. Back row (left to right): Isak Cornelissen, Kat Driscoll, Gary Short (coach), Rebecca Maggs, Martin Bland. Front: Molly OHalloran, Isabelle Garnham, Verity Kell, Caitlyn Turnbull.

The double Olympian though, was disappointed with her own performance in Liverpool, having only been able to pick up a silver medal and not add to her collection of four British titles.

Having only ever managed to qualify three entrants for the championships previously, the Washington Leisure Centre-based club not only had eight qualifiers but every gymnast who went managed to medal.

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And Driscoll - who competed at both the London 2012 and Rio 2016 Olympics, where she finished sixth - admits that even her under-par performance could not dampen the excellent displays of her young trampolinists.

“It was a remarkable set of results for the club,” she said.

“Never in this club’s history have we had eight people qualify for the competition.

“For every single one of them to medal was outstanding. We’re competing against clubs with full-time coaches and purpose-built facilities.

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“We work out of a leisure centre. They did the club and themselves proud.”

In the 9-10 years girls’ category, Caitlyn Turnbull was crowned British champion, then made it a double by teaming up with Molly O’Halloran (10th in the 11-12 year girls) to win the 9-12 years synchro event.

Elsewhere, Izzy Garnham won silver in the 13-14 years section, as well as securing a second-place finish in the 13-17 years synchro alongside Verity Kell, who was fifth in the individual 13-14 years competition.

Rebecca Maggs also won a bronze medal in the 15-16 year age group.

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In the boys’ section, Isak Cornelissen won a bronze medal in the 11-12 category, with Martin Bland making it a trio of champions for Apollo in the 13-14 boys.

Driscoll herself was disappointed in her own performance as she missed out on the title, but is still expected to win selection for the World Championships in Bulgaria in November.

She added: “I was disappointed, but it wasn’t about me – it was about the club. On the whole, we did brilliantly.”