Gabriel aiming to hit the heights
A Shrewsbury schoolboy has been tipped for future Olympic stardom after being selected for the British Snowboard Cross Team.
Gabriel Adams, 12, is currently with the British team in Austria for winter training and will miss an entire term at Shrewsbury High Prep School, as he continues to hone his skills.
Adams won two junior gold medals at the British Ski and Snowboarding Championships last year, and coach Steve Addicott has high hopes for his future.
"Gabriel shows true potential in freestyle snowboarding," he said.
"He has the passion, motivation and the natural ability to excel at a high international level. With coaching and added experience he is advancing along the performance pathway towards Olympic qualification."
Adams, from Broseley, took up winter sports when he was eight while living in Morzine, France.
In the summer he spends time perfecting his skills by doing gymnastics, trampolining, free running, bike riding and surfing, while he also represents his school at rugby and cricket.
Last year he claimed golds in the Junior Men Snowboardcross and Junior Men Halfpipe, and a silver in Junior Men Slopestyle.
After his success his parents, Joe and Lizzie, said: "He is so driven on what he is doing and they train like professional athletes, so it is pretty hard work and very intense training as well as having to fit in his school work."
Winter sports may struggle for popularity in comparison to football and cricket, but British Ski and Snowboard hope that Jenny Jones' snowboard slopestyle bronze medal in the 2014 Winter Olympics could grab public interest.
Adams is certainly one to keep an eye on in the future and, if he continues to progress, he could feature in the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing.
"Gabriel is especially inspiring for those pupils who join us every year on our annual Prep Ski trip where snowboarding is becoming as popular as skiing," said the school's director of sport, Paul Leeming.
"His selection for the British Snowboard Cross Team is an outstanding achievement and just reward for Gabriel's commitment and dedication to his sport. The school will be watching his progress very closely."
