Cork gynmasts heading to Italy to represent Ireland in world championships

Two young Cork gymnasts will be heading to represent Ireland on the global stage on Monday.

Ava Guiney (18) and Emily MCarthy (12) are heading to Pesaro in Italy to compete at the Acrobatic Gymnastics Junior World Championships.

The girls were selected as part of the Gymnastics Ireland delegation in June this year, after what was an intense trial process.

The two have competed together at a number of international competitions this year in preparation for the selection process.

They travelled to the Spelthorne International Acro Cup with Team Ireland in February, performing three strong routines after which they were awarded the silver medal.

Prior to this, they represented Ireland at the Caledonia Cup in Glasgow in November 2025, a competition where they won gold.

They have trained locally at Cork Acro Gymnastics Club in Carrigtwohill daily, as well as attending a training camp in Newcastle, along with training sessions at the National Gymnastics Training Centre in Blanchardstown in Dublin.

Ava completed her Leaving Certificate this year and did exceptionally well. She is a prime example that with the right focus and discipline, it is possible to balance education and sport during exam years. She will now begin her next journey in third level education at UCC.

Emily has recently started secondary school at Ard Scoil Na nDéíse in Dungarvan, which means her gymnastics training has been adjusted to work around the new schedule of longer school days and additional homework.

Together the girls will compete as a junior women’s pair in acrobatic gymnastics, performing complex routines with individual skills, choreography as well as pair balance and dynamic skills. Their personal coach Clare Sheehan is also travelling to Italy with them.

The Cork Acro-Gymnastics Club is extremely proud of their achievements.

A spokesperson for the club said: “Ava and Emily are looking forward to the championships. They have worked very hard over the past number of months to build difficulty and work on perfecting skills.”