Claire Poole won gold medals and national titles in Rhythmic Gymnastics, Artistic and Sports Acrobatics in the same year. A British Gymnastics first

Claire who competed in the under 12 years section has learning difficulties and attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD), began her remarkable feat during April when she entered the British Gymnastics Association Sports Acrobatics championships held in Portsmouth. Claire and her partner wowed and thrilled the judges with their Sports Acrobatics routine involving balances, rolls and synchronised movements to the music of "Starlight Express" gaining a gold in the process.

Just two weeks later Claire successfully fought for and won a place at the North West disability artistic gymnastics team to compete at the national artistic gymnastics finals in Stoke. She competed on Beam, Vault, Floor and Single Bar scoring the highest marks in the North West team within her age group, allowing her to collect an All Round Bronze medal which seeded her third best in the UK.

Barely three weeks after that Claire again found herself on a 12 metre by 12 metre floor area of the British Gymnastics National Rhythmic disabilities championship held in Solihull. Surrounded by the cream of rhythmic gymnasts from all over the UK Claire performed Step, Ball, Hoop and Ribbon routines before a panel of rhythmic gymnastics judges and was awarded a gold medal for her near perfect ribbon routine.

The only person who immediately understood the significance of that last medal was Claires coach Iain Chalmers. Deciding not to tempt fate he told no-one of the possibility of this historical first, keeping Claire, her family and even the other coaches at the Academy in the dark

"Claire is a remarkable girl who loves her gymnastics and no challenge seems too daunting for her. In order to accomplish this remarkable feat Claire had to learn routines on the beam, assymmetric bars, floor and vault; routines to music with different partners, then completely different routines to music using rhythmic balls, ribbons and hoops, a task which many children without learning disabilities would find difficult and challenging.

As the Cheshire Academy Co. director Jane Whetnall added:

"Children with ADHD often have great difficulty picking up, information properly. Their brain and bodies are constantly on overdrive. From the gymnasts point of view this makes the learning of any routine a long difficult and arduous task often frustrating for both coach and gymnast alike. However the months and indeed years of constant repitition and the painstaking work and effort by Claire and all the gymnastics coaches at the Cheshire Academy has paid off in spectacular fashion allowing Claire to overcome great personal difficulties and challenges and to succeed in achieving a sporting first which has written her for ever into the history books of British disability sport."