KATIE CANNON happily admits that the coaches at the Heathrow Gymnastics Club tell their charges that they are not normal people. The speeded-up music blaring out for the 105-second competition routines confirms it.

Then there are the glitzy leotards and shiny tights worn with socks and trainers. The real giveaway, though, is the sheer power, flexibility and dynamism of the aerobic gymnasts themselves. “Basically, you get marked down for the slightest pause in a routine,” Cannon, the leading Great Britain contender at this weekend’s European Championships at Coimbra in Portugal, said. “Every count has you up in the air and if you can’t get your leg up around your ear in the various jumps and spins then you won’t get very far.”

Cannon can — and the 20-year-old has gone a long way since she swapped artistic gymnastics for its younger, more vibrant little sister four years ago. Aerobic gymnastics is believed to have started in the 1970s, when it was called sport aerobics, but is now under the governance of British Gymnastics, hoping, according to Cannon, to earn Olympic recognition.

If only such riches were granted for dedication alone. Cannon, who is in her final year of a degree course at St Mary’s College, in Twickenham, not only trains or competes seven days a week, she also teaches her sport to junior wannabes. “Last Christmas I was down in the dumps with it all,” she said. “It’s hard to fit everything in.” In the next breath, though, Cannon wants to define why it is worth all the effort. “It’s a sport that wants you to have fun,” she said.

Cannon’s present routine, which she hopes will help to propel her to a top-ten finish in Portugal, is set to an up- tempo theme from Titanic. “It’s like a funkier version,” she said, “and every time I hear the start I tell myself it’s one minute and 45 seconds for my boat not to sink.”

Judging is based on the execution, difficulty and artistic impact of the routine. “They have to be spot-on with their marking,” Cannon said, “because everything happens so fast. Presentation is a huge part of it, so you have to wear a big smile on your face even when it hurts.”

These will be Cannon’s second European Championships at senior level. She also has one World Championships under her belt and is determined to be at her best come next year, when China hosts the sport’s showcase event. “In the Europeans in Hungary in 2003 I came eighteenth, but I was just happy to be there for the experience,” Cannon said. “At the Worlds in Bulgaria last season I was 30th, which proves how fierce the international competition is.”

Twice British champion, Cannon says that a European medal is a realistic ambition, although it will not come without personal cost. “Basically, I have to find three grand a year to do this,” she said. “There’s next to no funding and I’m lucky that my parents are so supportive. I got a grant from Sports Aid for £500, but that’s it. It makes it harder than it ought to be.”

Cannon predicts that things will get tougher, since full-time employment is looming. “Obviously, I’ve got to get a job when I’ve finished my degree and that’s when some of the extra training I do will have to go,” she said.

“Aerobic gymnasts tend not to reach their competition peak until their late twenties, which is nice, but also a bit worrying. I’m starting to wonder how long I can keep this pace up.

“Reaching the top isn’t enough. You’ve got to try and stay there.”