Artistic | Scottish gymnasts win a terrific tally of medals at the 2025 British Disability Championships
Scottish gymnasts won a total of sixty-three medals, eighteen more than last year, at the 2025 British Disability Championships on Saturday 8 November.
Twenty Scots represented their clubs across the competition levels at the artistic event hosted in Fenton Manor for the first time since 2021. Gymnasts competed for the all-around medals in their age, level and classification category; learning disabilities sit under class I with physical and sensory impairment as class II. The competition level’s, for both men’s and women’s, go in order of B, A and Open – Open being closest to full FIG.
Women’s class II – physical and sensory
Scotland dominated the all-around across all three women’s category II age groups. Two of the three gymnasts have upper limb differences with the third also impacted on their lower limbs too. They are also notably three of several budding Para gymnasts in Scotland, a discipline our nation has been making strides in as it’s pathway develops.
Darcey Ross (Arbroath) made an impression not only in her British Championships debut but first ever disability competition. She claimed the under 12 titles for the all-around with a score of 45.650, beam and vault alongside silver on bars and floor.
City of Glasgow’s Sophie Ireland competed in the junior level securing the all-around and beam titles. She completed her set with silver on vault and bronze for her impressive bar routine. Sophie just missed out on a spot on the podium for her Up Town Funk floor routine by 0.1 of a mark.
Club teammate Monica Fisher celebrated her birthday at the event and won a full set of medals. The nineteen-year-old retained her senior champion title, and on floor, for a fourth year. Additionally, she brought home silver on beam and bronze on vault.
The following gymnasts finished top eight in this classification in their respective category:
- Iona Timmons – City of Glasgow | B junior floor champion, second all-around, fourth beam, bars & vault
- Zara Coote – City of Glasgow | B junior bars champion, second floor, third beam, fourth all-around & fifth vault
- Lucie McRobbie – Central | Open junior third all-around, bars, fourth floor, fifth beam & vault
- Millie Sinnott – City of Glasgow | B under 12 seventh all-around, beam, floor, vault & eighth bars
Women’s class I – learning
It was a one, two and three podium line up of Scots in the senior B competition. Emily McAlpine retained her titles once again for all-around and floor, also claiming beam bronze plus, bars and vault silver.
It was a trio of gold on beam, bars and vault for Fyrish’s Carol Ball, with silver all-around and bronze on floor – her most successful British haul to date.
The following gymnasts finished top eight in this classification in their respective category:
- Rachel Thomson | City of Glasgow | A senior beam champion, third floor, sixth all-around, vault & seventh bars
- Megan Docherty – The Wire | Open senior second all-around, beam, bars, floor & vault
- Chiara Astley – City of Glasgow | B second beam, floor, bronze all-around, bars & vault
- Autumn Sherrifs | Eclipse | B junior second bars, third all-around, beam, floor & sixth vault
- Holly Lench – City of Glasgow | A senior third all-around, second bars, fourth beam, floor & fifth vault
- Ella Morton – City of Glasgow | B junior fourth beam, bars, sixth all-around, beam & floor
- Poppy McCall – City of Glasgow | A junior fifth beam, sixth all-around, bars, floor & vault
- Brogan McGregor – Eclipse | B junior sixth bars & seventh vault
Men’s artistic
It was a clean sweep of medals across the six men’s apparatus and all-around for Connor Deafley (City of Glasgow). He claimed five silver and most notably gold on pommel and rings in the B junior category I competition.
Scottish Gymnastics youth forum member and City of Glasgow gymnast Harley medalled in second on three of the four pieces he competed on. The competition A category II gymnasts fourth medal came in the form of gold on pommel.
The following gymnasts finished top eight in this classification in their respective category:
- Zachary Wood – City of Glasgow | B senior category II all-around champion, third floor, fourth vault, sixth rings, seventh high bar, p-bar & pommel
- Andrew Meffen – City of Glasgow | B senior category I fourth p-bar, pommel, fifth vault, sixth all-around, high bar, seventh floor & rings
Congratulations to all the gymnasts, coaches and clubs for their success at this championship event.