Soley Laverty Makes Gymnastics History

0:00On April 4th, 11-year-old Sully Loverty from Belfast just made gymnastics history. She's the first gymnast from Northern Ireland, pick for the elite, 2026 Great Britain Women's Artistic Development Squad, in over 20 years. Training at Salto National Gymnastics Center in Lisburn, her selection caps an amazing year of top performances. Sully nailed 13th place all around at the UK Aspire British Championships in March, the best ever for a Northern Ireland kid at that event. She was the only one from her region to qualify for the 2026 British Artistic Gymnastics Championships through the Elite Excel, Pathway, and she hit top 10 in Combined Rankings last year. Back in February, she won her category at the Scottish Championships too. Coaches at Salto are over the moon, calling it a special milestone for Northern Ireland Gymnastics. She's executive Mandy McMaster says Sully's commitment and resilience got her here, starting from summer camps when she was just four.

1:01Now a year-aid pupil at Straight Heart School, her natural talent shown early on Trebleens at age three. The coach and crew deserves props too, led by head coach David Carlton, with world medalist Gina Papa Dixon, AOA being trainer and choreographer, Annika Drennan. This squad spot is just a star for Sully, and everyone's rooting for her to flip into even bigger wins ahead.