Lisa Gardiner (19) and Mia Krone (15)

International WP 13-19

Join and follow us on our journey to represent Australia at The World Age Group Championships which will be taking place in Guimaraes, Portugal from 12-15 September 2024. Acrobatic Gymnastics is not an Olympic Sport and is fully self-funded and has no financial support from the Government.

Our journey started 4 ½ years ago in 2019 at Brisbane City Gymnastics Club where we both had the same dream to one day represent Australia at the Acrobatic World Championships.  

We spend a minimum of 22 hours per week with our coaches Farkas and Reka Pungur after school, during school holidays and weekends. These hours include training our skills, increasing our strength and also perfecting routines with our Choreographer Eszter Pungur together with our international judge Taylah Kinshela. Often seeing each other more than our own family and friends we share our love and passion for acrobatics and work hard to support each other to achieve our goals.

In May 2021 we were selected on the Queensland Team and competed at the 2021 National Championships where we placed 3rd and made the Acrobatic Gymnastics National Squad.  This was our first step in achieving a lifelong dream to represent Australia. Unfortunately, due to the World pandemic of Covid-19 our dreams were put on hold as the Australian Team selection trials for the 2022 World Championships were cancelled by Gymnastics Australia.

We continued to push through with our next 2 year goal of representing Australia at the 2024 Acrobatic World Championships in Israel.  With hard work, motivation, passion, injuries and many sacrifices we showed dedication, skill and commitment to the sport of acrobatics we love. 

Our journey then took us overseas to Portugal for the Maia International Acro Cup in May 2022 and March 2023. Having these international experiences allowed us to keep preparing intensively for the World Trials that were to be held in Sydney in November 2023.  Unfortunately due to an injury 1 week out of Nationals where Mia required surgery, we were unable to qualify for a position on the National Squad at the National Championships. After just not recovering in time for the 2nd trial in early August, we regathered ourselves and aimed to compete at National Clubs in September, the final trial for the National Squad. Here we met the required score making the National Squad which qualified us to compete at the World Trials in Sydney in November.

Thankfully, we surpassed the necessary score at this trial and secured our spots on the Australian Team to represent Australia at the World Age Group Championships.  Due to unforeseen circumstances FIG had to make the announcement the 2024 Acrobatic World Age Group Championships were not going to be held in March, 2024 in Israel as planned. After 4 months of waiting, it was announced that Portugal secured the honour of holding the Championships in September 2024. 

Due to this postponement, Gymnastics Australia nominated several international groups across the country to compete at the Maia International Acro Cup under the Australian banner. We successfully competed at this event held in May 2024 securing our spots in the elite finals where we placed 7th. We are now looking forward and working towards competing at the National Championships in June 2024.

Some of our achievements over the past years include:

• 6x QLD State Team Members
• 2x National Squad Members (2021-2022; 2023-2024)
• 1x Australian Team Members (2024)
• 2021: 3rd place at the Australian Gymnastics Championships (12-18 category)
• 2022: Maia International Acro Cup Portugal Semifinalists (13th place)
• 2022: National Clubs 13-19 Champions (1st place)
• 2023: Maia International Acro Cup Portugal Finalists (4th place)
• 2023: National Clubs 13-19 Champions (1st place)
• 2024: Maia International Acro Cup Portugal Finalists (7th place)

Unfortunately, Acrobatic Gymnastics is not an Olympic sport and therefore has no financial support available from the government and is fully self-funded.  We would appreciate any financial help, big or small to go towards our Flights, Accommodation, Competition entry fees, uniforms, coach fees, judges’ fees, chaperones, and all other associated costs. 

Our support from our family means the world to us and we do understand it has played a financial strain to be able to support us on this path.  It would mean the world to be able to ease the pressure of this campaign on our families who have given their time and many sacrifices to achieve our dream.  In an effort to turn their dream into reality, this page has been created and we are asking on your kindness and generosity to help support us by contributing to our journey.  We would appreciate any financial help, big or small!

Through our partnership with the Australian Sports Foundation, any contribution over $2 is tax deductible and we would greatly appreciate your support in helping to achieve our dream of representing Australia.