Joy as Horncastle’s Nellie Ball becomes first Lincolnshire gymnast to be selected for the GB squad

That followed her displays at this year's English and British Championships, initially just qualifying and then subsequent results, as she battled back from a broken ankle last year.

This is the early stage of the Olympics pathway and she will now battle it out for a GB place at one of their practice sessions to be selected for the team for the international U13 Four Way competition in September.

Nellie is 12 and has been doing gymnastics since she was just one year old.

Mum Vickie said: “She started going to a tumble tots group that Horncastle Gymnastics Club used to put on.

“Unfortunately this group ceased so she started going to preschool stay and play sessions at Witham Hill Gymnastics club in Lincoln.

“She joined their recreational classes when she turned four and then moved to one of their squad groups.

“Nellie started training for two hours a week and this has gradually increased over the years.

“She now trains around 20 hours a week whilst attending full time school and finding time to be a normal 12-year-old.”

She started competing at county level when she was five, winning joint county champion.

Just before lockdown she competed in her first gymnastics grade, gaining a distinction, which gained her a space on the East Midlands Gymnastics Squad, and she has maintained her place on the squad every year since.

When lockdown hit in 2020 she was seven years old, but continued to train as best she could at home - mostly exercising, stretching, strength and conditioning – and 2020 and 2021 were hard years until things became normal again.

Nellie worked hard and took her next grades in 2022.

At the end of that year she qualified to represent the East Midlands at a national finals event as part of their team.

In 2023 she took her last grade, the hardest grade in Gymnastics.

After passing this grade she was then officially an elite gymnast.

It was confirmed at the end of 2023 that she had qualified to compete at the British gymnastics Championships in 2024 - the highest level competition at the youngest age possible and the youngest person in Lincolnshire to ever qualify.

In 2024 Nellie finished eighth on vault in the whole country and 38th overall.

“Unfortunately in July 2024 while at regional squad training she badly broke her ankle, needing pins and screws in surgery,” said Vickie.

“She then fought back with her physio, rehab and training. She continued to train on reduced hours until she could build back up.

“After just 12 weeks she competed two pieces at a British teams event with her team mates from Witham Hill.

“She had fought hard enough to be able to compete at the 2025 English championships, even managing to compete with her new skills.

“She finished eighth in England in vault and 14th overall.

“Nellie had then qualified for British Championships in March 2025, again fighting hard enough to compete more new skills just nine months after injury.

“She narrowly missed out on the beam final, but finished an amazing 10th overall in the whole country.

“Off the back of these great results she was then selected for Team GB squad - the first person in Lincolnshire to make a gymnastics GB squad and we are very proud of her.”