One to watch: Catherine Lyons

Elegant, polished, and mesmerizing are often words you hear being used to describe thirteen year old Catherine Lyons- a British star on the rise. At first glance, Lyons seems like she would have an extensive dance background but surprisingly the only formal dance training she has is the 30 minute ballet session she does during practice. In only her second year competing at the elite level, Catherine has caught the eye of many thanks to her stunning choreography, extreme flexibility, and unique skills.

At the British Championships in 2012, Catherine placed 1st all around in the Espoir category. In 2013 she fell short of defending her title and wound up placing 2nd all around, but she made up for it by winning the floor title with an impressive 9.1 E score. At the 2013 UK School Games, Catherine had a stellar meet winning the all around title plus all four event titles! Then it was off to Japan for the Junior Japan International where she finished 8th all around and 4th on beam among some of the worlds best junior gymnasts. Most recently at the second British Espior Championships, Catherine swept the competition winning the all around title and all four events. Talk about a sweet redemption!



Catherine is a fan favorite particularly on beam and floor where she really shows off her grace and flexibility. On beam, Catherine does a jump to split mount from the side of the beam and an inverted Y turn; which the crowd really loves. On floor, Catherine takes "artistic gymnastics" to a whole new level with her contemporary style routine. "I really enjoy dancing as I can put emotion into it and show off." said Catherine "I have been taught from a young age that gymnastics is about the performance and trying to entertain the judges; it comes natural for me to show off." Interestingly, dance lessons are considered a reward at Lyons gym. "I've been allowed to start some contemporary style dance at the end of my ballet session as a treat if I work hard." said Lyons. Catherine lists her idols as Aliya Mustafina and Beth Tweddle, both gymnasts whom she is inspired to be like.

Lyons won't become a senior until 2016, but she has plenty of goals to work for along the way. "Right now my main goal is to upgrade more in all my routines. I would like to get onto the junior European team in 2014, after to that I'm just taking it step by step." But there is one other thing for sure that Catherine would like to accomplish. "Another big aim is to actually stop growing!" Lyons joked.  For now, Catherine Lyons will continue to be a delight to watch on the junior stage until her time comes to shine- which just may be in Rio 2016.