Sonia Lawrence (born 19 January 1980) is a British

gymnast Gymnastics is a group of sport that includes physical exercises requiring balance, strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, artistry and endurance. The movements involved in gymnastics contribute to the development of the arms, legs, sh ...

and later pole vaulter, who competed at the

1996 Summer Olympics The 1996 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXVI Olympiad, also known as Atlanta 1996 and commonly referred to as the Centennial Olympic Games) were an international multi-sport event held from July 19 to August 4, 1996, in Atlanta, ...

Biography

Lawrence grew up in Bedwas and joined the Heol Ddu Gymnastics Club in Bargoed at a young age. At the age of 12 Lawrence moved to Staines near London in order to gain full-time coaching. After gaining selection for the British Squad, she went to a Pre-Olympic Camp and also represented Wales at the

1994 Commonwealth Games The 1994 Commonwealth Games ( French: ''XVéme Jeux du Commonwealth'') were held in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, between 18 and 28 August 1994. Ten types of sports were featured at the Victoria Games: athletics, aquatics, badminton, box ...

, where she won a silver medal in the vault. At the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, Lawrence represented

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-west coast of continental Europe, consisting of the countries England, Scotland, and Wales. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the List of European ...

in five events. Injury problems hampered her ability to compete for medals at the

1998 Commonwealth Games The 1998 Commonwealth Games ( Malay: ), officially known as the XVI Commonwealth Games (Malay: ), were a multi-sport event held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The 1998 games were the first held in Asia and the last Commonwealth Games of the 20th cen ...

Kuala Lumpur Kuala Lumpur (KL), officially the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, is the capital city and a Federal Territories of Malaysia, federal territory of Malaysia. It is the largest city in the country, covering an area of with a census population ...

, Malaysia before retiring from gymnastics at the age of just 16. Lawrence took up pole vault and her greatest achievement was finishing third behind Tracey Bloomfield in the pole vault event at the

2003 AAA Championships The 2003 AAA Championships sponsored by Norwich Union, was an outdoor track and field competition organised by the Amateur Athletic Association (AAA), held from 25 to 27 July at Alexander Stadium in Birmingham, England. It was considered the de fa ...

References

External links

* 1980 births Living people British female artistic gymnasts Olympic gymnasts for Great Britain Gymnasts at the 1996 Summer Olympics Sportspeople from Caerphilly Commonwealth Games silver medallists for Wales Gymnasts at the 1994 Commonwealth Games Medallists at the 1994 Commonwealth Games Welsh female artistic gymnasts Welsh female pole vaulters Commonwealth Games silver medallists in gymnastics {{UK-artistic-gymnastics-bio-stub