Arva girl claims world dancing title

A proud mother has spoke of her shock when her young daughter was crowned World Champion!

Arva girl Hannah Partington (12) took first place in the U13 World Championships in Athlone on October 23. The result was completely unexpected.

"We were shocked and overwhelmed with the win," reports Hannah's mother Lorraine. "We didn't think it would happen. We're so proud of her."

Lorraine says Hannah has made plenty of sacrifices in order to gain her success, which included missing out on attending a family wedding.

"She missed her auntie's wedding which took place in The Royal Breffini. She was able to come back for the evening part of it but had to go back the next day for the rest of the competition.

"She also started playing football recently and couldn't play for a while due to the dancing."

Lorraine also paid tribute to Hannah's dedicated coaches.

"The dance teachers are very good," she said. "Classes go on for much longer than they are scheduled to. It was a real team effort to get her this far."