Sport
4 August, 2025
Podium finishes for young gymnast
A YOUNG Mareeba gymnast is now the third best in the country for Vault in his age group after he brought home two medals when representing Queensland at a national competition recently.
Olie Hampton attended the Australian Gymnastics Championships held on the Gold Coast recently and competed in the Level 9 Under 18 years Queensland team.
Along with his Queensland teammates, he earned a silver medal for his state, and a bronze medal individually.
“I’m pretty happy with how I went,” the 17-year-old said. “It was really nerve-wracking though, because there was some very good competition down there.”
Olie competed over two days, with the first day scores going towards the team total and the scores from the second day towards each individual.
Each state team competed in a range of apparatus including Floor, Pommel Horse, Rings, Vault, Parallel Bars, and High Bar.
Olie was the only Far North Queensland representative in his team, with his five other teammates all being from the Brisbane area.
Club director Kelly Tulloch was proud of her young student, whom she’s watched grow into a “great competitor”.
“I know I was really proud of him. I’ve had Olie pretty much since he started here at the gym,” she said.
“I coach and overlook all the teams here, so just watching him grow up in the gym, watching him perfect his competitions and to sit back and watch that journey and see what a great competitor he has turned into, has been really nice.
“There was some great competition down there and it was really eye opening. We’re so far isolated up here that we don’t really see it. But to walk in down there, I think his (Olie’s) eyes were very wide.
“But we do alright up here, and we hold our own. He was very nervous, but he did perform really well, so he should be very proud of himself for that.”
