Aberdeen rhythmic gymnast Louise Christie won three medals at the 2022 British Rhythmic Championships in Telford ahead of her debut at the European Championships in June.
A Sport Scholar at Robert Gordon University and a member of Beacon Rhythmic Gymnastics Club in Aberdeen, Louise reached all the apparatus finals across the two-day championship.
As a fourth-year student of Applied Sport & Exercise Science at RGU, Louise is competing at extraordinary sporting levels across Europe while continuing her academic studies, with support from RGU’s Sport Scholarship programme.
Louise says: "I can't thank RGU enough for the support I have received. The access I've had to the sports hall has allowed me to train fully in a suitable gym for better preparation in the lead up to competitions. The flexibility around my studies has also allowed me to find a good balance between my academics and gymnastics to pursue excellence in both fields."
After routines in Clubs & Ribbons on the second day of the British Rhythmic Championships, Louise secured an overall score of 99.500 and the silver medal. Louise qualified for two further apparatus finals earning top score of 24.200 for Ribbon. She also won a second silver in the Clubs final, rounding off her competition with an impressive three medals in total.
Next month, Louise will represent Great Britain at the 38th Rhythmic European Championships in Tel Aviv, Israel, between June 15 and 19.
"I'm so excited to have been selected to represent Great Britain at the European Championships,” says Louise. “I had some strong performances over the first part of the year at internationals, and then at the British Open Apparatus. So, I'm really pleased to have been selected.
"This is my first European Championships, and I'm probably most looking forward to getting out there with the team and supporting each other and hopefully having some good performances our in Israel.”
Head of Sport at RGU, Hannah Leslie adds: “It’s wonderful to see our Scholars thrive in their chosen sport. The RGU community looks on with support and admiration of Louise’s great achievements and we wish her every success in the upcoming European Championships.”
The RGU Sport team and schools across the University work closely together to ensure Sport Scholar athletes receive appropriate academic flexibility and support to enable them to achieve their sporting goals while working towards academic success.
Trophy image by British Gymnastics.