News

Bermudian gymnast Aria Divine has secured her second All-Around National Champion title at the Independent Gymnastics Association (IGA) Level 8 National Championship.

The 10-year-old, who began her gymnastics career at Bermuda Gymnastics Association (BGA) at the age of four, is now based in Oxford and is making a name for herself in the United Kingdom after moving to England with her family in 2018 and joining Miss Poppy’s Gymnastics club in 2020.

At the Level 8 National Championship at the Kingston Gymnastics Centre in Milton Keynes on Sunday, 4th December 2022 … Divine … secured two gold medals (beam and bars), one silver medal (floor) and one bronze medal (vault) …

Royal Gazette

Brian Le Roux:

“I can only applaud Simone for making that decision,” he said. “She must have been suffering for a while and it’s just become too much and too hard for her to cope. I think it was a well-thought-out decision and certainly not a spur-of-the-moment thing. …

… she has brought a greater awareness of mental health in gymnastics and sport to the world; that’s a huge thing I’m taking away from these Olympic Games,” added Le Roux, who has invited sports psychologists to speak to his gymnasts in the past about the importance of mental health awareness.

“To do that on the stage that she did sent out such a strong message. To do that on the world stage was so important and for her to be bold enough to do it was huge and sets a great example for other athletes. …”

Local gymnastics coach applauds decision by Simone Biles to put mental health struggles on the mat

Due to COVID-19 no Bermuda National Teams will be named for the 2020-21 season.

Instead, athletes, judges and coaches will be invited to training camps, international competitions, as well as other learning opportunities on a case-by-case basis.

We plan to publish National Team selection criteria for 2021-22 well in advance.