Local
15-year-old Rex Booth is not your usual schoolboy – he is an elite-level gymnast, who has already won a silver medal for Great Britain in the Acrobatic European Championships and he doesn’t show any signs of slowing down this sporting success. Rex picked up the sport aged eight, after trying out one of his sister’s training sessions. He now trains at Richmond Gymnastics Association, where he trains for about 20-24 hours a week, depending on the time of the season. Rex is also an all-rounded athlete because he performs at swimming, football and long-distance running at high levels. ‘I keep up with swimming by doing this in the morning before school. I wake up at 5 am and train before school, with gymnastics after school. I play football in the evenings, when I don’t have gym. Long distance running isn’t something I train in but is something I am involved in at school; this is because I get the endurance needed from swimming.’ Although these hours would be im