A beauty student at Bath College has been picked for TeamGym GB as a reserve gymnast for the European Championships 2016.
Tia Collins, who is studying for a Level 2 NVQ, will take part in intensive training as a reserve for the team gymnastics squad.
The 16-year-old started as a gymnast 12 years ago and trains at least 15 hours and a minimum of three days a week with Majestic Gymnastics in Bristol.
Over the last 12 months, she has been visiting Bracknell Gymnastic Club to take part in GB regional squad training.
She said: “When you go out in public people don’t really realise you’re a gymnast and you can just stand and backflip.
“It’s quite hard fitting in college work with training, there’s an exam for every module, but I was keen to study beauty.
“My teammates are just like family. We perform in front of thousands of people that we’re competing against and I enjoy all of it.
“When I found out I’d been selected I was just bouncing round the place.”
Tia, from Majestic Gymnastics in Longwell Green, has been trialling for TeamGym GB for a year. She went through three phases of intensive training and reviews to be selected as a reserve in the final stage.
Her training will step up ahead of the European Championships in Slovenia, which takes place from October 12 to October 16.
Tia said: “Throughout this training I’m just hoping to get better. It’s going to be constant training to learn new skills, new moves and new techniques.
“If someone doesn’t get accepted or has an injury I could have a chance, but I’m going to the European competition anyway.
“I’m looking forward to it, watching and seeing what it’s like. I will still be going as a reserve so if anything happens I would have to step in.
“I think it’s going to be huge. There will be gymnasts from all over the world.”