Southend's Pascal Craymer has put a nightmare year behind her to recapture her place on the British junior gymnastics squad.

Bouncing back -- gym starlet Pascal Craymer is back in the British squad after a series of injuries. Picture: STEVE O'CONNELL 7HF8X2M

The 14-year-old Deanes School pupil helped her country to beat Belgium with a superb floor score in February, before representing them again in last weekend's defeat in Holland.

Today she was hoping to complete a dream couple of months by winning her greatest honour yet -- qualification for the European Championships.

Pascal was competing at the British Gymnastics Centre in Lilleshall in the first of three qualifiers.

Such a prestigious schedule had until recently seemed a long way off for the plucky youngster.

A series of serious ankle injuries caused her to lose her place on the British squad in 2001 and it needed two periods away from competition to cure the problem.

The lay-off was a tremendous blow for Pascal. After taking up the sport when her family lived in New York, she had become one of the country's hottest prospects, claiming a British championship in 1999 and remaining unbeaten at regional and county level.

She said: "It was tough going to the gym for conditioning work and seeing everyone else getting ready for their next competition.

"I started to wonder whether I was actually ever going to get anywhere and whether I would have to stop, but I looked back at what I had achieved and was able to carry on."

She added: "My long-term aim is to go to the Olympics, but at the moment I am just happy to be back on the British junior team. I always thought I'd be able to get back and I was pleased to do it at the trials."

Published Wednesday, March 20, 2002