South Wingfield skater helps her team to retain British title.

Abigail Wibberley, who is 12, skated in the juvenile category for a team called the Ice Gems at the Britannia Cup, held at the National Ice Centre in Nottingham.

The three-day competition, which was organised by the International Skating Union, was streamed live on the BBC iPlayer.

Abigail was one of the stars of the show as she helped the Ice Gems to a deserved gold medal, finishing nine points clear of the runners-up.

Skating to a ‘High School Musical’ theme, the 16-strong team performed a routine that brought out basketball choreography, with hand and foot movements replicating the famous Harlem Globe Trotters.

The team’s speed, grace and technical accuracy took the appreciative audience to the edge of their seats.

The success added to Abigail’s gold-medal collection because the same team also won the Lee Valley Competition held in London earlier in the season.

She said: “We have trained so hard in preparation for this season, which sometimes means early mornings and late nights.

“It makes you tired, but we are always there to support each other and to try and be the best we can.

“We have two more competitions ahead, and we are really looking forward to our chances in Germany against teams including Poland, Czechoslovakia, Italy, Netherlands and Hungary.

“I am so lucky to be part of an international team and to be representing Great Britain. I love ice skating!”

Abigail, who skates with the Nottingham Synchronised Ice Skating Academy, has taken to the skilled and demanding sport like a duck to water.

She is supported all the way by her parents, Andy and Rachel, who drive her to Nottingham three or four times a week. They said: “We are so proud of Abi. She has grown in strength, personality and focus through her skating.

“Her school work never suffers from the amount of time she commits to the sport. In fact, the level of discipline and determination skating requires brings out the best in her.”