Stephens Impressive on International Debut

NCE Perth gymnast Sidney Stephens has earned a bronze medal on international debut for the Australian women’s artistic team at the Pacific Rim Championships in Colombia.

The Australians took third place behind regional heavyweights USA and Canada with a squad brimming with young talent.

Stephens, who was making her first representative appearance at just 15 years of age, enjoyed a strong campaign in which she also competed in the Junior All Around and Uneven Bars finals.

The emerging talent secured 13th place in the All Around final, after collecting 46.550 points in total. Her score of 12.9 on Vault was her strongest rotation.

Stephens backed that up with a sixth place effort in the apparatus final on Uneven Bars. Here, she returned a score 11.975 to finish behind Pacific Rim Champion Kayla DiCello of the USA.

The selection and subsequent excellent performances of Stephens is an outstanding reward for the NCE Perth program which has developed the state’s elite junior talent since the pathway shift from WAIS, to Gymnastics Australia.

The change in structure now sees GA oversee the talent pathway, with WAIS providing facilities and service support to scholarship talent.