Two REG gymnasts earn medals at Western Nationals

The Western Nationals was a success for both Athena Koehler and Kira Lim from Redwood Empire Gymnastics.

Koehler, 14, competed in the Junior 8 division, and brought home an eighth-place vault medal, scoring a 9.4 on her handspring front tuck vault. She won first-place vaulting titles six times this year in invitational meets, topping off her season with a medal at Nationals. Her goal is to one day do gymnastics at the collegiate level. Her favorite events are vault and floor.

Lim, 15, also competed at Westerns in the Senior 3 age division. She had one of the most exciting meets of her life, and was awarded the title of Western National balance beam champion. The first-place award was given to Lim after she scored a 9.4 on the beam event. She also received three other medals at Nationals, including seventh place on vault with a 9.475, eighth place on bars with a 9.475 and third place in the all around with a 37.65. Lim loves the challenge of gymnastics and her favorite event is bars.

Both Lim and Koehler were part of the Region 1 gymnastics teams at Western Nationals, where each of their respective teams took first place in their session against three other regions.

At Nationals, there is also a Super Team award that is awarded to the Region that receives the most first-place team awards over the three-day competition. Region 1 was the winner of the Super Team Award, making Redwood Empire Gymnastics a part of history for the Western Nationals in 2017.

Lim and Koehler will be featured when Redwood Empire Gymnastics hosts its annual gymnastics showcase at the academy on Saturday. Show times are 10 a.m., 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. Tickets are available at the front desk of the Academy located at 434 Payran St.