Dronfield Eye Issue 221 May 2024

dronfield EYE
Ella, 11, beaming with delight
Ella Kenny on the beam and shown outside the Arena in Liverpool
D
EDICATION to her chosen sport is
paying off for Coal Aston’s Ella
Kenny who was one of the stars of the
recent 2024 British Gymnastics
Championships in Liverpool.
Ella, who is 11 and attends Dronfield Henry
Fanshawe School, puts in around 24 hours
of training each week at the Dronfield
Gymnastics Academy, Callywhite Lane.
Her reward was an outstanding
performance on the beam in the Aspire
section which saw her reach the
competition’s televised finals where she
claimed fifth place. Not bad at all when she
was competing against some girls who were
a year older and more experienced than her.
Ella shared the spotlight on finals day with
the likes of Olympic medalists Georgia-Mae
Fenton and Rebecca Downey. Her
performance qualified her for the 2025
British Championships and she wil also
compete in next year’s English
Championships in Telford.
Ella took her first steps in the world of
gymnastics at just four years of age.
Although her success at Liverpool came
on the beam, she prefers competing in
the floor and vault disciplines.
Said delighted dad Michael: “For a club
like Dronfield, this is a huge
achievement. Alongside her success, an
image captured of Ella was used by the
BBC in promoting their coverage of the
championships.”
The Dronfield Academy has been
established for 11 years and has around
800 members from far and wide.
Explained director and head coach
Clare Hague: “Very few people in the
country even reach the British
Championships. Ella did particularly well
because she was one of the youngest in
the competition.”
Another member, Olivia Munro from
Totley, also represented Dronfield at the
event in the 14-15 age group.
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