GYMNASTICS champions have their sights set on the Olympics after coming top in a national contest.

Hayley Robson, 11 and Rachel Collinson, 16, both came away with gold medals after competing against some of the country's top gymnasts in a competition at the weekend.

The girls, from South Durham Gymnastics Club, at Spennymoor, County Durham, are training with the Olympic squad - along with another winner in the British Schools National Apparatus Finals, Amy Fossheim, 11, who secured silver in the junior category.

Rachel spends one week a month at a national sports centre in Telford, training for the 2004 Olympics, while her younger counterparts aim to compete in the 2008 contest, and spend a minimum of 25 hours a week training.

Coach Nicola Preston said: "This wasn't a Mickey Mouse contest. It involved the top gymnasts from all over the country. We were competing against clubs five times bigger than we are and to have all these winners is fantastic."

The girls were also part of winning group entries. The senior team came first and the junior team came third.