A schoolboy who struggles to see properly without his glasses has flipped his way to a national acrobatics gold medal in international competition.

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Hampton School pupil Finlay Gray, 12, and his partner Frazer Windows, 14, won the World Acrobatic Championships in August and the British Open Pat Wade Classic Championships in the 11-16 age category in Stoke on November 16.

Finlay, who took up gymnastics at the age of three, wore an eye patch between the ages of five and seven in an attempt to correct a lazy-eye and needs high prescription glasses to see.

He was unable to wear his spectacles while competing, which presented a huge challenge for the young gymnast.

He said: "Everything was very blurry, and in competitions when I was running across the floor I would have to guess exactly where my partner was, which was a bit worrying for both of us because precision is very important.

"If I guessed wrong then I fell."

But Finlay’s local opticians, Specsavers in Staines, offered him free contact lenses while he was in training for the World Championships this summer, and he said it has made a huge difference to his performances.

He said: "Having lenses has massively improved my gymnastics because I can see everything in such detail now.

"This means my performance is better and as a result our scores have gone up and we are winning more and more medals."

Finlay said the stamina he has built up through his acrobatics helped him play for the rugby team at school and he will compete alongside Frazer in trials for next year’s European Championships.

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