Young gymnast shines for Jamaica

Eight-year-old Sara Mungalsingh did Jamaica proud at the recent international gymnastics event hosted by USA Gymnastics (USAG) in Florida.

The reigning Little Miss Manchester, Mungalsingh placed fourth out of the 63 participants and scored 9.3 in all her categories, just 1.5 points shy of the scores the top three girls received.

"It was really hectic for me because I had to be doing this with schoolwork, homework in the evenings after gymnastics, so it was a little bit challenging. But because I really love gymnastics, I worked hard," Mungalsingh told CENTRAL STAR.

Her preparation required training for at least five hours per week, participation in several national and inter-regional gymnastics competitions, and a spot in the top three from those competitions she previously entered, to get her on the stage for the USAG event.

She was happy that she did not disappoint, and proved to everyone that hard work indeed pays off when she hit the gymnastics stage in Orlando, where the competition was held.

Her mother, Marsha Mungalsingh, who accompanied her to the competition, said Sara thought she had failed when they announced the placements.

"When she was placed fourth, she didn't really understand what it meant. She thought she didn't do well. But when we broke it down to her, she really saw that she did excellently. Out of the Americans, Panamanians and one other Jamaica, she ranked forth," she said.

Having to drive long distances for the venues and training in frigid temperatures, Sara said she tried to think happy thoughts about the whole experience.

"One thing that really excited me was being able to wear my official uniform with my teammates. It had glitter and sparkles, and I really loved that," she said.

Sara is now preparing for next year's competition with the aim to cop to top placement.

In a previous story, Sara said she hopes to one day represent Jamaica in gymnastics at the Olympics and, later, to become a dentist.