Breaking Olympiad news just in… Local would-be gold-medalist Bethany Folkestone waved goodbye to friends and family earlier this morning when she departed these shores set for the 2016 Olympics Games in Rio. Flying alone from Beckworth airport on the first part of her journey she hopes to arrive in the Ukraine in time to catch a cheap connecting flight from Kyiv Boryspil Airport. The transatlantic journey to Rio is estimated at 63-hours, give or take or a day.  Extremely tall and plucky eight-year old Bethany, who passes for someone twice her age hence how she can compete in the Olympics, is the UK’s brightest hope in both the freeform and co-ordinated routine skipping disciplines. She already has a Brownie badge for skipping and four local and county level certificates to her name (though two are for swimming and one for keeping her bedroom tidy for a whole week). We wish Bethany well in Brazil and hope she gets there in time for the opening ceremony. Christine Batley. Chief Rope Jumping Correspondent. Beckworth Guardian

(Above) Olympic hopeful Bethany Folkestone in training earlier this week