Courageous Kayleigh wins Olympic gold
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Kayleigh with her gold medal from the National Special Olympic Games
Only 6 months ago, 10 year old Kayleigh Phillips who has cerebral palsy was encased in plaster following a major hip operation. Her mother Julie, aged 39 and father Alan aged 43 feared that the Maryhill Primary School girl would never recover in time for the 7th National Special, Olympic games in Glasgow.

The odds were stacked against the wheelchair rhythmic gymnast, as Kayleigh was unable to practice her ribbon and hoop routines for four months after the operation to put metal plates round her hip joint.

But courageous Kayleigh stormed back from the major operation to win gold at this years premier event for disabled athletes held between July 2nd and 8th.

"Kayleighs hips kept slipping out so she needed the operation" explained Mrs Phillips."But she was in plaster for 6 months, and then needed daily hydrotherapy and physiotherapy to recover. She was in quite a bit of pain at first, but as time went on she got more and more determined. She is focused, whether things are good or bad, and she can be quite stubborn".

Kayleigh remembered her Ribbon and Hoop routins perfectly and trainers Iain Chalmers and Jane Whetnall from the Cheshire Academy of Integrated Sport and Arts, in Crewe, thought that she had a good chance at the games.

But neither could have guessed that Kayleigh would be classed as too good for her category (in the Motor Skills section) and had to be moved up to the Wheelchair Gymnastics section.

Mrs Phillips said that "The problem was that the Hoop routine at the higher level was just too difficult for Kayleigh however she remembered her Hoop routine perfectly. Her trainers said that they had never seen her perform her Hoop routine so well."

Kayleigh arrived home to find the house bedecked in banners and her room decorated in her favourite pink and purple colours.

Kayleigh said "Im actually quite chuffed with my gold medal. It was a srtruggle to get their and I was a bit dissapointed that I couldnt do the Hoops but the gold medal made up for it."

Her mother said that gymnastics had transformed Kayleighs life after overcoming the trauma of integrating into a mainstream school.

"My husband and I pushed Kayleigh into gymnastics because she became very upset that she could not do the same things as the other children in her class, but now she has achieved more than anyone else in her class and is loving every minute of it. Her classmates at Maryhill Primary School are big fans of Kayleigh and all crowded round her before school started, to learn how she had managed to return home with a gold medal round her neck"