Meet the Austinmer teenager who is reaching new heights in gymnastics

The 17-year-old received the prestigious Senior Levels Athlete of the Year in Women's Artistic Gymnastics at the annual Gymnastics NSW Awards in Sydney.

Jones - who specialises in the floor and vault disciplines - was recognised for her superb form over the past 12 months, which included finishing runner-up at the National Championships as seen in the video below.

The young gun, who trains at Wollongong City Gymnastics, was then selected to represent Australia at the Friendship Classic competition in Las Vegas.

"I went to the awards last year and that was the first time I had heard anything about it (the award), so to be able to win it this year was pretty cool," Jones told the Mercury.

"Last year, I went pretty well at nationals and I was pretty happy with my results. And I was then able to represent Australia over in Vegas. That trip was more about the experience, because my team and I found it completely different to Australia.

"Just before I left, I sprained my ankle, so I had to work with an injury in my routine. But I still placed second at the second comp that I competed in."

Jones has enjoyed a long relationship with gymnastics, first trying the sport about 13 years ago.

Like many kids, she was encouraged to give it a go by her parents.

"I had a lot of energy and I've found it's a really good outlet for me. From there, I just kept pursuing it and I don't plan on stopping," Jones said.

"Long term, I'm considering going to America to do collegiate gymnastics. We've been in contact with some colleges, so hopefully the plan is to go to America for four years."

Jones's growth in the sport has come under the watchful eye of coach Courtney Flack for about a decade. Jones has shown great dedication to the sport, training for 16 hours a week at Wollongong City Gymnastics.

Flack said the teenager had shown incredible growth during that time.

"When she was young, she was full of energy and she's so powerful. But she's learned to control that power over the years and channel it," she said.

"Caitlin has never really had to change her mindset, she was born with competitive ticker and a drive to work hard to be the best that she can be. That came naturally to her.

"In WAG gymnastics (women's artistic gymnastics), you can start representing your state from level eight. She managed to do that with her first try, so she's been really lucky to be on the state team since 2019.

"Since then, every time she gets to go and experience a national event, she learns something from it every time. She's one of the senior gymnastics in the state now."