1999: Three Disability Gymnasts and Four Perfect Scores
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Michael taylor The perfect gymnast with the first ever perfect score
Three rhythmic gymnasts with disabilities made sporting history when they collected perfect scores for their wheelchair rhythmic gymnastics routines. But Michael Taylor went one better he did it twice on the same day.

The perfect gymnasts were competing at the South East Region Special Olympic games being held in Portsmouth.

First to collect a perfect 5 points was 11 year old Michael Taylor. His rope routine was faultless and judges were at a complete loss as to what score to give to Michael. After a huddled collaboration the Judges felt that they had no alternative than to award him the full 5 points for the routine, the maximum allowed under Special Olympic rules.

Sisters Carol and Christine Hough were thrilled to see his perfect score being demonstrated and both were spurred on to perform their own technically flawless routines which led them also to gain perfect scores.

However the impass was broken a few moments later when Michael Taylor again made his way onto the Rhythmic Floor and demonstrated a flawless ribbon routine. To an ecstatic crowd he was awarded his second perfect score and the right to be written into the Special Olympic history books.

Said Academy Co-director Jane Whetnall

" No one has ever before gained a perfect score for a Special Olympic rhythmic gymnastics routine . Not only did we manage this seemingly impossible task but we repeated it a further three times"

In all the Cheshire Academy collected a total of 5 "All Round" titles with the titles going to Christine Hough, Celia Flegg, Michael Taylor, Alison Barnett and one other Cheshire Academy gymnast.