By Rob Cole
Poppy Stickler is undergoing a pretty nerve-wracking summer with GCSE exams and Commonwealth Games selection battling for top billing in her life.
The Whitchurch HS international gymnast doesn’t have long to wait to see if she makes the grade for Birmingham this summer as part of Team Wales and it would be the perfect 16th birthday present for her if she gets the nod.
The Welsh gymnastics squad for the Games is due to be announced with the other sports on 8 June and Stickler turns 16 four days later. She has already crammed in a lot this year having been named in the British senior women’s artistic gymnastics squad after winning a brilliant bronze medal on the floor at the British championships.
Not bad for a gymnast who has only just entered her first year as a senior. Her recent success has also elevated her to the ranks of the Hall of Fame at her school, which includes the likes of Gareth Bale, Sam Warburton and Geraint Thomas.
And Stickler could well find herself being named in Team Wales for the Commonwealth Games with Thomas, who is set to once again ride in the road race and time trial in Birmingham.
“Everyone is aware of the great sportsmen who have been at our school and they are an inspiration to everyone. But I also remember being shown the silver medal that Latalia Bevan won for Wales in gymnastics in Australia in 2018,” said Stickler.
“She brought to school and I couldn’t believe that someone only a few years ahead of me was able to achieve such a thing. That made me want to one day make the Welsh team more than anything.
“I’ve just come out of the junior ranks and it was my first British senior championships in Liverpool in March. I had some big targets to hit to earn a ticket to Birmingham and I went all out to reach them.”
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Stickler followed in the footsteps of her elder sister Isobel by taking up gymnastics at the age of six. She gave up for a short while, but then fell in love with the sport when she watched the 2018 Olympic Games in Rio.
She progressed very quickly through the ranks and has graduated to become a British champion at Level 2 and Level 1. She has already represented GB in France and Wales in South Africa, Czech Republic, the USA and Iceland.
Last year she underlined her potential by winning the floor and vault titles at the GB Junior championships. She finished third overall and at this year’s Welsh senior championships she won on floor and finished second all-round and those performances earned her a place in the British senior squad.
Also a former British Championship medallist in both the espoir and junior categories, Stickler helped Wales win team gold at the Northern Europeans in Iceland in 2019. No wonder her photo went up on the wall of fame at her school
“I feel honoured to be put up on the wall of fame along with so many amazing faces. It means a lot knowing my school are proud of me and want to celebrate my achievements,” she said.
“My teachers have been extremely supportive throughout my high school education, allowing me to catch up on work I have missed and extending deadlines for me in order to continue my training and accomplish my goals.”