PE teacher wins gold at Pickleball championships

Kirsty Gray (holding racket) won the gold medal in the senior ladies event

A teacher who has only been playing pickleball for a year has won a gold medal in the senior ladies event at the European Pickleball Championships in Rome.

Kirsty Gray, from Plymouth, said she was "completely in shock" after winning the contest.

Thirty countries took part in the European Pickleball Federation's second European Team Championships from 19 to 21 September.

Gray said: "I keep looking back on the video clips. The crowd was massive and it doesn't really sink in - just an unbelievable feeling."

"It's a combination of tennis, badminton and table tennis, so my tennis background obviously helped me quite a bit," she said.

She said she picked up pickleball with a few friends in London after suffering some tennis injuries.

"The day I picked up a paddle I was hooked... it's an easy game to pick up."

Gray also won silver in the singles and mixed doubles team events.

The PE teacher who works at a school in Liskeard, Cornwall, said she was now teaching her students how to play.

"It's accessible to all ages. All our children of all abilities have loved it."

She said some children had asked her for autographs.

Her next big game is due to be the National Championships in Bolton in October.

Gray said: "All these events in our country are getting 1,000 entries, 2,000 entries... so the sport is absolutely massive at the moment."