Athletics: Britain’s world tumbling champion Rachael Letsche urges youngsters to get involved

Britain’s world tumbling champion Rachael Letsche has urged youngsters to get involved in the sport as she prepares for a major career change.

Letsche saw off competition from England footballer Karen Carney, PGA Tour Championship winner Lydia Ko and multiple medal-winning boxer Katie Taylor to claim the Sky Sports Sportswoman of the month award for November. 

The 23-year-old from St Helens won the World Tumbling Championships in Daytona, Florida last month, to add to the European team tumbling title she claimed in April.

But now, before focusing on a career with the theatrical group Cirque du Soleil, she is urging other gymnasts to follow in her footsteps in the unheralded acrobatic sporting discipline.

She told Sportswomen: "It's a really great sport which I don't think has a very high profile because it is not an Olympic sport so no-one knows what tumbling is really about. It is a fantastic place for young people to learn some really valuable disciplines in a sporting sphere.

"It is full of energy, determination and positive factors with team members right behind you and everyone cheers each other along. 

"I've been quite successful in European and British championships as well as World Cups and obviously the biggest one is the World Championship so obviously I am delighted with the result last month.

"As to the future, I'd love to be part of Cirque du Soleil and I am currently studying cabin crew at college. I went off to Cirque du Soleil for two months last year and I decided to carry on competing for another year so I don’t think I will come back (to competitive gymnastics). I’d already decided last year that I was finishing anyway."

Sportswomen is live on Sky Sports News HQ on Tuesday at 1130 and repeated at 7pm on Sky Sports 4 that evening before becoming available On Demand.