Georgia Simpson has overcome personal and physical challenges to make it to the top in Australian gymnastics. Now she is ready to take on the world.
The 17-year-old WAIS scholarship holder will be Australia's sole representative against an elite invitation-only field at the American Cup, which counts Nadia Comaneci and Mary Lou Retton as former winners.
Simpson, who trains alongside Lauren Mitchell and Emily Little, has spent six years battling injury, including a dislocated patella which prevented her from competing at last year's nationals.
However, her greatest challenge has been more personal with the death of her older sister Beth, also a WAIS gymnast, from a brain tumour in 2007.
Simpson never lost hope after becoming the Australian junior champion in 2006, and hard work finally paid dividends with selection for her first big international event.
Senior WAIS coach Martine George said national coach Peggy Liddick was looking for a good all-around gymnast for the American Cup, starting in New York's Madison Square Garden on Saturday.
"Georgia does not have as much international experience as the rest of the team and needs that exposure in case she finds herself in the Olympic team," George said.
"It is also important for the top international judges to see her in action because she is a beautiful gymnast who always leaves a strong impression."
George said Simpson needed as much exposure as possible before the final team for the London Olympics was selected.
"Georgia is very young in terms of gymnastics experience but is a very strong worker on the bars and beam, where she could be a world championship finalist in years to come," George said.
"She has upgraded her routines on every apparatus, having put her injuries behind her."
Simpson has done an additional amount of strength and conditioning work.
After the American Cup, Simpson will join the rest of the Australian team at the Pacific Rim Championships in Seattle between March 16 and 18.