A world-class British gymnast has swapped the high beam for hard news.
Kelly Hackman, who competed for Britain at the Olympics, European and World Championships and won a silver medal for England at the 1998 Commonwealth Games, has started her career in journalism with the Surrey-based Woking News & Mail.
Hackman gained her NCTJ preliminary reporters’ certificate at London’s noSWeat journalism training.
“Kelly was one of our most dedicated and hard-working students which shows in her excellent marks,” noSWeat course director Stephen Ward said.
It was Hackman’s interaction with the world’s media that led her to pursue a career in journalism.
“I had a lot of dealing with the other side in the big competitions and I appreciated the importance of the media,” Hackman said.
“Because I had a lot to do with interviews as a gymnast I wanted to see what it was like on the other side. It’s quite different to my gym career because there’s not the same sort of monotony, it’s different every day.”
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