Stacey Kemp was bed-ridden for two months as she tried to overcome glandular fever and a viral and liver infection in July and only returned to training in the middle of September.

Despite missing one domestic and two international competitions Stacey and her partner David King faced a race against time to prepare for the upcoming season.

However the skating pair exceeded expectations at the Gold Spin Competition in Zagreb a week ago by taking their place at the top of the podium.

Stacey speaking from her training camp in Poland said: "This was our first international win so we are extremely happy with our result.

"We also had two great skates and got a new personal best for it. We were very proud of having our country's flag flown.

"It was a fantastic feeling to be rewarded with a gold medal after all the hours and years of hard work that we have put in."

Proud mum Lynn said: "Stacey was out for two months and even had to come home because she was so ill.

"It is great for her to win their first international gold medal. She was determined to train even harder to recover from the setback."

In many ways this season is make-or-break for the young pair with rising costs of training in Poland under their coaches Marius and Dorota Sudek.

The 20-year-old said: "It is a big year for us in our amateur career. We have been training since we were young children to get to the Olympics.

"This is the year we need to qualify to get there otherwise costs will force us to move into professional skating.

"We would appeal to any businesses to help us achieve our dream and sponsor us."

Anyone interested in sponsoring the pair should contact Lynn on 01257 262672.

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