Abbie Watts - Trampoline Gymnastics

Growing up in Perth, I took up Artistic Gymnastics at the age of 6. It wasn’t until I was 9 that I discovered Trampoline Gymnastics and instantly fell in love. At that point, I’d been jumping on trampolines recreationally for as long as I could remember, so the transition was a no-brainer.

Since then, I’ve moved around Australia in pursuit of my sporting goals. After coming 6th at the Youth Olympic Games in 2014, I moved to NSW where I trained for 4 years. During this time, I transitioned to the Senior/Open category, competing at multiple World Championships and other international events. After a year in Victoria, I found myself in Adelaide, which has seen the peak of my gymnastics career to date. Since moving to SA, I’ve taken out 3 National Titles, secured a Top 8 World Cup ranking and qualified Australia Olympic ranking points ahead of the 2024 Paris Games.

Questions

The best thing about being a SASI Athlete:

Having a passionate team in my corner, working together to achieve a common goal.

My favourite food to fuel me as an Athlete:

Weetbix with YoPro and berries. Can’t beat brekkie!

My favourite movie:

Harry Potter.

My favourite colours:

Green and blue.

My sporting hero and why:

Blake Gaudry – Australia’s first and only trampoline gymnast to compete at 2 Olympic Games. I looked up to Blake from a young age and watching him compete in London inspired me to pursue my own gymnastics goals.

My favourite possession:

My engagement ring.

The sporting activity I most like performing:

My favourite skill on the trampoline is called a “full in rudi out”. It’s a double front somersault with 360° twist in the first rotation and 540° in the second, performed in a straight body position.

If I wasn’t doing my current sport I would like to be:

A pole vaulter.

The most important things in life:

Family, friends, food and fun!

My ambassador activity tip:

Find an activity that you enjoy doing and/or people you enjoy doing it with. That way you’re more likely to stick with it and you can encourage each other.

My favourite way to keep active:

Aside from doing my sport, I like to go hiking with friends.

The sport I like watching the most:

Gymnastics and diving.

What sporting success looks like:

To me, success is knowing you’ve given training/competition/recovery everything you’ve got. You can’t control how other people perform, you can only control how hard you work.