The gymnast so successful she lost count of her medals
ContributedEllie-Bea Thomas was just nine when she took on her first gymnastics competition and years later she has gone on to represent Great Britain hundreds of times.
The 27-year-old, from Milton Malsor, near Northampton, who has Down's syndrome, said rhythmic gymnastics came naturally to her as a child while it had helped with her coordination and confidence.
During her sporting career she has taken hundreds of gold medals home - to the point where she has lost track of them all - and this week competes in the National Summer Games in Birmingham.
Aiming for another gold, she said she could not wait to get going, while her mother and coach, Anne Thomas, 67, said she was "proud" of her daughter.
Thomas first started watching gymnastics when she was six and started to practise the moves from home.
A year later she took up the sport and was immediately hooked.
"When I was a young kid, I used to be different," she told BBC Radio Northampton's Liz Jeeves.
"As I [went] up in the levels of gymnastics, I've become stronger with my foot coordination and my balance, so it's becoming awesome.
"The reason why I like it so much is I gain more friends and gain more confidence, and [it] just went off from there."
ContributedIn 2009 during her first competition as a nine-year-old, Thomas took home a bronze medal - and she never looked back.
She has won numerous medals, including gold at various Special Olympics World Games over the years, in the sport that involves athletes using apparatus such as a ball, ribbon or rope.
She also has various European and UK medals.
Thomas trains at Lings Gymnastics Club and is one of 1,200 athletes competing in Birmingham this week.
"I don't want to boast, but I'm definitely aiming for gold," she said.
"I can't wait to get out there and just do it."
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ContributedAnne said she recognised early on how good the sport could be for her daughter, in terms of improving her balance and coordination.
"[It's] nerve wracking," she said of watching her daughter compete.
"It also makes me feel very proud and as long as she has fun, it doesn't really matter... whether she gets a medal or not isn't really the issue."
She added: "It helps to show other athletes, or even people that aren't athletes, that people with special needs or learning disabilities can achieve just as much as anybody else.
"It makes her shine."
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