Lauren originally fell in love with gymnastics at the age of six when she had a ‘Gymbus’ birthday party on a double decker bus filled with gym equipment and balloons. Joining her local club in Perth, she was quickly snapped up by the WAIS high performance program shortly after.
Mitchell first rose to prominence in 2008, when she represented Australia at the Beijing Olympic Games and helped Australia reach sixth place-the nation’s best ever Olympic team result. Shortly after the Olympics, she defeated a stellar field on beam to become the first Australian female gymnast to win a World Cup final.
Creating another slice of history a year later, Mitchell became the toast of Australian gymnastics at the 2009 World Championships; Mitchell won silver on beam and floor an only narrowly missed out on a medal in the women’s all-around final finishing in fourth place by just 0.025. Mitchell became the first Australian female gymnast to medal in an individual apparatus final at a World Championships, and the only Australian to win two medals in the same competition.
After enduring a frustrating run of injuries including a broken hand, sprained ankle and an adductor strain that forced her out of competition for nearly 12 months. Lauren returned with a bang in October 2010, winning four gold medals at the Commonwealth Games in Delhi-the biggest haul by an Australian artistic gymnast at a single Games. Only days after the Commonwealth Games, Lauren went on to compete at the World Championships in Rotterdam, Netherlands. Mitchell became the first Australian female gymnast to win a world title, winning gold on floor.
The final gymnast to perform, Lauren produced the routine of her career scoring 14.833, fending off a strong performance from newly crowned all-around champion Aliva Mustafina of Russia. Lauren’s gold medal at the World Championships was the pinnacle for what was the most successful year for any Australian gymnast.
Following the World Championships, Lauren’s amazing string of performances continued in November, capturing five gold medals at her two world cup circuit appearances, becoming the first Australian gymnast to win three gold medals at a single World Cup event.
Lauren truly is an inspiration to young gymnasts all over Australia. Lauren is an outstanding role model for young Australians due to her hard work ethic and healthy lifestyle.
