Young Kilkenny gymnast sets the gold standard

An 11-year-old Kilkenny gymnast’s hard work, determination, and dedication to her craft have made her one to watch for the future. 

Bethan Morgan was six years old when she began attending the Kilbarry Gymnastics Academy in Waterford, following in the footsteps of her mother, Louise, who also trained at Kilbarry in her childhood. “I knew one of the coaches who was still there, so I called down one Sunday, with Bethan in hand, and asked if there’d be any chance of Bethan joining in on the session,” says Louise. “He told us to come up on Tuesday, let her have a go at it for an hour, and it just took off from there.” 

Bethan trains in artistic gymnastics, which includes the floor, the beam, the bar, and the vault. Her potential was spotted by Kilbarry’s head coach, Maddy Gunnell, who suggested that Bethan progress to Plus-Level competitions - an elite pathway in gymnastics. Bethan trains for almost twenty hours a week, both at home in Kilbarry, and at the National Sports Campus in Abbottstown, Dublin - she has often crossed paths with Olympic gold medalist, Rhys McClenagahan, while training there.

In 2023, Bethan was selected for the National Development Squad by Gymnastics Ireland - the only athlete from the South East to be selected - and spent a year training with them. 

Last year, Bethan was selected for the Olympic Start Squad (OSS), which saw her travel to Inverclyde, Scotland, in October for a training camp. It was Bethan’s first trip abroad for gymnastics, and she was accompanied by Maddy and the OSS Squad. 

In April, during her Easter Holidays, Bethan and the Kilbarry Squad travelled to Lisburn for the annual Salto Gymnastics Club Competition, which serves as a pre-competition before the WAG National Championships. She won the overall competition and many individual medals for various apparatus - beam, floor, bars, and the all-around gold. 

A month later, Bethan took part in the WAG National Championships, where she competed at Level 5 Plus. She won all-around gold, an individual gold on beam, and was crowned overall national champion, and also came first in the range and conditioning routine.

Bethan has become a role model for other girls in her area, inspiring them to start their own journeys in the world of gymnastics. “Since Bethan was put on this elite pathway by her coach, Maddy, there are a few girls in the same club who are a little bit younger than her that are starting to follow the same path, which is brilliant,” says Louise. 

“Hard work, dedication, and following your dreams really does pay off,” says Bethan’s father, William. “We are extremely proud of her, and so are her club, school, community, friends, and family.”