Natasha bounces back to be crowned number one!

JUST 14 weeks after being in intensive care fighting for her life Warrington gymnast Natasha Coates has bounced back – to be crowned Number One Disability Gymnast in the UK!

Natasha, aged 20 from Appleton, who suffers from a rare condition which makes her body allergic to exercise, won another five gold medals at the recent Disability British Championships at Bolton Arena.
She suffers from a condition which affects cells in her body known as Mast Cells.

The full name is Spontaneous Urticaria and Spontaneous Angioedema leading to Idiopathic Anaphylaxis.

Alongside this she also suffers from Asthma, Eczema, Allergic Rhinitis and Oral Allergy Syndrome.

Natasha, who only recently battled back from another stay in hospital with the condition said: “My goal this year was to just compete. Competition day marked only 14 weeks since I was getting out of intensive care, so it was a tough time, going from barely being able to take more than a few steps to competing gymnasts routines at elite disability level. However, compete I did!

“I hit all my routines and made it through the competition without getting too unwell, so I was happy just to have made it through the competition.

“I was completely overwhelmed to find that I had come 1st on all of the apparatus, as well as the all-around champion for my category and the highest female all-around score of the day!

“It felt so surreal and it makes it a total of 14 British titles won in just over 11 months because of the timing of the competitions.

“When I developed this life threatening condition just over two years ago things were really tough and if someone has told me that in just a few years’ time that I would be the number 1 Disability Gymnast in the UK, I certainly wouldn’t have believed them.”

“For this year’s competition my leotard was specially designed with the help of Quatro leotards from a design I drew up on a scrap of paper when I was in intensive care.

“The heartbeat across the sleeves represents life and hope, and the awareness ribbon on the back with wings represents all those who have lost their life to this condition.

“I was particularly emotional after my floor routine as my new floor routine is called ‘My immortal’ and it tells my story with a sad ending, showing that people are dying from a condition that no-one even knows about.

“My friends and other coaches were crying because they all knew how much that performance meant to me after losing a few friends to this condition this year; I was competing for them.”

Natasha is a member of The Wire gymnastics club, which is currently fundraising for a foam pit to help Natasha and her teammates develop harder skills safely.

Natasha added: “My club has been so supportive of me and understanding about my disability that I would love to find some sponsors to help fund the new pit as a way of saying thankyou.”