A GOLDEN girl from Barrhead wowed judges with her gymnastics skills to take home not one but two medals from a national sports event, writes Monica Gibson.

Grace Moultrie, 12, flew the flag for her home town at the Special Olympics Great Britain National Games, in Sheffield.

Hailed as the largest sports event in the UK for people with an intellectual (learning) disability, the Games attracted 2,600 athletes, giving them the opportunity to achieve and demonstrate their abilities.

Talented Grace put on gold medal-winning performances in both the beam event and floor section.

Her proud dad Graham told the Barrhead News: “We are just absolutely delighted for her.

“Grace has Down’s syndrome and we were happy that she was able to take part and wanted her to have a lovely time.

“I think she must have been one of the youngest athletes there, so to get the medals topped it all off.

“Grace lives and breathes gymnastics. She is constantly watching different routines on the iPad. She also goes to classes twice a week and she really does love it, so it just shows that all the hard work pays off.”

Graham was in Sheffield to cheer Grace to victory, alongside her mum Wendy and younger brother Max.

“Around 250 athletes set off from Scotstoun, in Glasgow, on six coaches, all travelling together, and we met Grace down in Sheffield,” said Graham.

“It was nice for them to have that sense of adventure as well.

“The event was at the Ice Stadium in Sheffield. They had put carpets over the ice for the competition and it was a great set up.

“The families were all staying in hotels near the stadium, which was good. The opening ceremony was last Tuesday and the atmosphere was brilliant the whole way through.”

Grace is now looking forward to making the transition to secondary school and telling her classmates all about her summer success.

She will be among hundreds of pupils who will start lessons at the new Barrhead High School tomorrow.

Graham, 48, added: “Grace loves school and she loves her friends.

“Socially she gets on okay, so we have decided to keep her in mainstream school and see how she gets on.

“She is looking forward to starting at the big school and knowing that all of her friends will be there means a lot to her.”