KCGA Updates

Welcome to the May 2026 edition of Inside Kensington Gymnastics — our monthly update from Kensington & Chelsea Gymnastics Academy for families across Kensington, Chelsea, Knightsbridge, and the wider London community. This month, we reflect on KCGA’s representation beyond London through participation in the 2026 Masters Gymnastics World Cup in the United States and the Annual Meeting of the American College of Sports Medicine in Salt Lake City. Alongside these international experiences, training has continued steadily across all KCGA venues as we move through the Summer Term and begin preparing for our upcoming Annual Performance, the fourth anniversary of KCGA, and the presentation of our Gymnast of the Year Award. May’s update highlights the connection between gymnastics, education, and lifelong learning — values that continue to shape everything we do at KCGA.

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Who this update is for

This update is for current KCGA families who would like a clear monthly overview of academy life, as well as parents exploring children’s gymnastics in Kensington, Chelsea, Knightsbridge, and London more broadly. It may be particularly interesting for families who value evidence-based coaching, long-term athletic development, and the role that gymnastics can play throughout childhood and beyond. This month’s update also offers insight into how KCGA engages with both international gymnastics competition and sport science research.

May has been a significant month for Kensington & Chelsea Gymnastics Academy, combining steady progress across our venues with opportunities to represent KCGA on the international stage through both gymnastics and sport science.

Across Kensington Gymnastics, Chelsea Gymnastics, and Knightsbridge Gymnastics, children have continued their Summer Term training, building upon the foundations developed earlier in the year. At this stage of the academic calendar, much of the progress is found in the details: stronger movement patterns, greater confidence, improved coordination, and a growing sense of independence within classes. While these improvements are not always the most visible, they are often the most important, providing the foundation for future development and long-term enjoyment of sport.

The biggest highlight of the month was KCGA’s representation at the 2026 Masters Gymnastics World Cup in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA. Founder and Director Dr Stefan Kolimechkov returned to the competition for a second time, having first competed there in 2024 as part of Great Britain Masters Gymnastics. Despite managing shoulder and knee problems in the final weeks before the event, Dr Stefan achieved a fourth-place finish on Rings with a score of 12.60, finishing just 0.10 points away from the medals. Beyond the result itself, the competition served as a powerful reminder that gymnastics is a lifelong activity, capable of challenging, inspiring, and rewarding participants at every stage of life.

May also saw KCGA represented at the Annual Meeting of the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) in Salt Lake City, Utah. As the flagship event of the ACSM and one of the most respected conferences in the world for sport and exercise science, the meeting brings together thousands of researchers, clinicians, educators, and practitioners each year. This was Dr Stefan’s third consecutive in-person ACSM Annual Meeting, following Boston in 2024 and Atlanta in 2025. During the conference, he presented research conducted at KCGA examining bilateral handgrip strength symmetry in primary-school boys practising recreational gymnastics. The findings suggested that regular gymnastics participation may support more balanced upper-limb strength development, reinforcing the value of activities that encourage children to use both sides of the body in a coordinated and symmetrical way.

Following the conference, Dr Stefan also spent several days training in New York as part of his preparation for the 2026 Adult Gymnastics British Championships. The short training camp provided an opportunity to continue refining routines and preparing for one of the most important domestic competitions of the year, which would take place in June.

Closer to home, preparations have also begun for one of the highlights of the KCGA calendar: the 2026 Annual Performance. This year’s event will be particularly special as it will also celebrate the fourth anniversary of Kensington & Chelsea Gymnastics Academy Ltd. During the event, we will present the KCGA Gymnast of the Year Award, our highest academy recognition, celebrating not only gymnastics ability but also commitment, perseverance, attitude, and contribution to the KCGA community.

The May 2026 KCGA Newsletter is now available on the website, providing families with a written overview of the month’s highlights and academy developments. Work has also continued on future editions of Kensington Gymnastics Magazine, our long-term educational publication designed to support families with evidence-based information about gymnastics, physical development, health, and lifelong participation in sport.

As we look ahead to June, we are excited to bring together many of the stories that have been developing throughout the Spring and Summer Terms. With the Annual Performance, the fourth anniversary of KCGA, the Gymnast of the Year Award, and the Adult Gymnastics British Championships all taking place, the coming month promises to be one of the most memorable of the year for our academy community.

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