Monica Rutherford

Monica Rutherford took up gymnastics when she was at school, where she had a talent for the vault and competed in the British Junior Vault and Agility Championships. From there Rutherford continued to practice hard and attended an after-school gym club to improve her skills. After competing in several competitions, including one at Wembley Arena, she was eventually selected to participate at the 1959 British Championships in Cardiff. Two years later Rutherford became the British champion for the first time, in addition to competing at the European Championships, followed by the World Championships in 1962. She won three further British titles from 1962 to 1964, earning herself a place at the Tokyo Olympics.

Following her career Rutherford married British Olympic diver Brian Phelps, with them opening the OLGA Trampoline Club in the south of England. Phelps, however, was sentenced to nine years in prison in 2008 when he pleaded guilty to sexually abusing three young girls at the gymnastics club during the 1970s and 1980s.