Gymnast left school to chase Olympic dream

A gymnast who quit school to pursue her Olympic dream has been selected as a reserve for the English Women’s Artistic Gym squad at the 2012 London Games.

Niamh Rippin, 18, of Kirklington Road, Southwell, is one of the squad’s three reserves.

She could be called up if one of the five team members suffers an injury. In the last three Olympics a reserve has competed.

Niamh said she was proud to be a reserve after battling back to fitness from serious back and hand injuries that forced her out of action for a time.

She said: “I am not so disappointed not to have made the Olympic team. It would have been a massive thing to be part of it.”

The team was announced after the British Women’s Artistic Gymnastics Competition where Niamh became the British vault and floor champion.

She had the top vault score in the competition and finished fifth overall.

She has been training with the Olympic team in Lilleshall this week and will continue next week.

She will then return home where she will wait on stand-by.

Niamh has a gruelling training schedule and decided in December to leave the Minster School, Southwell, where she had been studying for her A-levels.

“It was a really hard decision to make but I think it was the right thing to do and it has been worth it,” she said.

“I know I can always come back to my studies later.”

Niamh started her gymnastics career at Southwell Leisure Centre when her parents, Mr and Mrs Simon Rippin, encouraged her to take up the sport instead of swimming because she kept getting ear infections.

For the past 12 years she has trained at Rushcliffe Leisure Centre, where she is still based with the Nottinghamshire Gymnastics Academy and coached by Claire Starkey.

She has been a member of the British national team since 2007 and has competed internationally.

The highlight of her career to date was in 2010 when she was part of the silver medal winning team at the 2010 European Championships that narrowly missed out on gold to the Russians.

Her injury problems started after the 2010 British Championships when she suffered a back injury and had to reduce her training.

It was found that the back pain was caused by a stress fracture injury that meant three months of recovery and rehabilitation.

She was finally able to resume training but then broke her hand, ruling her out of the World Championships.

“It was heartbreaking to see everybody being able to train around me while I had to slow up,” said Niamh.

She said that with the help of her physiotherapist, and encouragement from other gymnasts she had been able to regain her previous form.

“I am proud that I have managed to get back to full fitness and I am in a better shape than I have ever been before,” said Niamh.