A grand spectacle of the nation's top gymnasts returns to Tauranga for the first time in five years as the 2023 New Zealand Gymnastics Championships gets underway in the city this week.

From July 5-8, the country's best gymnasts will compete for national glory across the five gymnastics codes – aerobics, men's and women's artistic, rhythmic, and trampoline gymnastics at Mercury Baypark.

The e nationals were last held in Tauranga in 2018. Provincial National's Committee member Jana Bennett says: 'Having it local, it's just more exciting and everyone is having more time to train”.

Yet Jana also notes 'it's more pressure for locals because more friends from school can actually come and watch – but it's exciting!”

Jana says gymnasts selected for nationals only found out in the first week of June. 'They only have four weeks to train just for nationals and hit it hard. It's not easy to get into, so it's a huge achievement for the kids just to be there. It's huge for New Zealand and to represent the Bay of Plenty.”

Leading up to the event all the BOP codes will come together for a meet up, which will be the first time in three years, says Jana.

Tauranga gymnasts Ava Ellison, Andrejka Bennett, Nikita Lal, and Mila Watherston, get in some last-minute training before the championships are held in their home town July 5-8. Photo: John Borren/SunLive.

'It's a big deal on the Saturday for us to get together, and make it official and make the gymnasts feel like we are one. We are one team of BOP and not being separate with each code. We're hoping it's a different feel at nationals this year.”

The 2023 NZ Gymnastics Championships is at Mercury Baypark from July 5-8.

For spectator tickets and further event details, visit: https://www.iticket.co.nz/events/2023/jul/gymnastics-nz#/buy-tickets

Adelle King. Photo: John Borren/SunLive.