AN elite gymnast whose career was ended by a spinal injury has been given a lift after finding a natural ability to pole vault.

Barnard Castle School pupil, Claudia Barkes, thought her dreams of competing for her country were over when she was diagnosed with a fractured back.

The 16-year-old had been a promising gymnast since the age of five and a member of the Team GB squad from the age of nine to 14 with her sights set on Olympic glory.

She won a host of medals including a team gold in the Czech Republic but aching legs prompted her to have tests and an MRI scan revealed stress fractures to her spine that put an end to her gymnastic dreams.

But the year 11 student, of Greta Bridge, near Barnard Castle, never gave up on her dreams and after deciding to give pole vaulting a go, has already been ranked 14th in the country for her age.

“My whole life was built around gymnastics from the age of five and then it was over,” she said.

“It was really hard to come to terms with – 30 hours of training a week for years suddenly comes to an end – and it certainly took some adjusting to.

“The stress fractures have healed with fibre rather than bone and are unstable. An operation isn’t an option either as that would mean I would lose strength and flexibility. But I wanted to do something.”

Claudia was asked to attend a three-day training session for beginners at Gateshead College Stadium and after only a few months of training, set a personal best of 3.10m at a recent competition where she even out-vaulted the boys.

“It was great fun, I seemed to take to it naturally and was asked back,” she said.

“It is a really exciting prospect to again feel I can achieve something within sport.”

She added: “I have always been competitive and, while it is early days, it is amazing to find something else which gives me such rewards.”

Miss Barkes’ coach, Chris Boundy said: “The first time I worked with Claudia you could see straight away she had potential to transfer from gymnastics into pole vault.

“The level that she achieved in gymnastics has given her the all-round conditioning needed to take up the sport. She has a fantastic attitude towards training, always listening and always willing to try and she is a pleasure to coach.”