BURTON Albion under 12s player Taylor Kalinins has won the East Midlands Tumbling Championships in Leicester.
The Academy player, who has been part of Loughborough Gymnastics Academy since he was seven, won gold at the Championships in January, the first competition that he has competed in at that level.
Taylor’s mother, Hayley, said that everybody is very proud of Taylor and believes that the player’s gymnastics exploits are helping him on the pitch!
She said: “The event was called the East Midlands Tumbling Championships. Taylor has been in the Loughborough Gymnastics Academy since he was seven. They don’t get a huge amount of competitions, so this is his biggest competition to date. So, we did not really know what to expect at that sort of level, but he came away with gold.
“He did really well, he had to do three different tumbles and then it is based on points, which are given to each tumble and then added together.
“Obviously, we are delighted. Taylor goes in twice a week, in-between his Academy training and it is good for him to carry on his gymnastics instead of turning everything into football. The gymnastics almost compliments the football too, because it keeps him supple and it has different qualities to it.
“He was delighted as well and everyone is so proud of him. It is just a really nice achievement for him.
“He came home and said ‘I just feel really proud’, which is really nice to hear because he is enjoying it and he has achieved something in it.”
Academy Manager Dan Robinson said: “This is a superb achievement for Taylor. We are all delighted for him here at the Academy! This is a great example of someone not only having football talent but excelling in another sport too. We will always encourage our players to be well-rounded young people.”