11-year-old Detroit gymnastics star places top 10 in national competition

DETROIT (WJBK) - She is a star on the mat and on the basketball court. An 11-year-old Detroit Gymnast has reached incredible heights, placing in the top 10 in a national gymnastics competition. 

Aniah Thomas is an all-around whiz kid at sports, reaching this accomplishment after only participating in gymnastics one year. Thomas placed in the top 10 in the nation in her age bracket in the 2018 USTA National Championships.

Aniah is a power tumbling and trampoline machine. She was just a week shy of one year in gymnastics when she found herself finishing 8th in tumbling and 10th in double mini. 

"It's very difficult because she had no less than 70 competitors from all over the country," said her gymnastics coach Rohn Baker of Team Skills Ville. "To be a first year gymnast and to be in the top 10, that's pretty special."

She has nabbed headlines before. Aniah and her four other JV b-ball teammates put their school Most Holy Trinity on the map, won their league's second place trophy - without even having a school gym or subs.

It is the kind of laser focus you'd expect out of someone like Aniah.

"She is pretty hard on herself as far as wanting to do the very best," Baker said. "I'm proud of her."

"I like all my sports, I am going to try to do all of them when I grow up," Aniah said. 

And what makes her so competitive?

"Doing it as a team," she said. "We compete and every month or so we do our best and you try hard."

Aniah is described as a perfectionist. She also competes in swimming, soccer and basketball and she is a high achiever in those sports as well.

We'll be watching her story closely.