Yeehah! Rachael McEnaney has been crowned queen of the line-dancing world after competing at the very highest level in Nashville, Tennessee.

The Stamford Bridge teenager spent last year climbing through the ranks of the United Country Western Dance Council before being declared best woman for both classic and showcase disciplines at the massive Renaissance Convention Centre.

She's just arrived back after her triumph, which saw her beat off competition from the USA, Canada and Holland.

A dancer since the age of four, her journey to line-dancing stardom started last February, when she was spotted by world champion American line-dancer Pedro Machado at an awards ceremony in Blackpool.

He recommended that she aim for the top, so she started training hard with top Liverpool-based coach Rob Fowler, travelling to Merseyside at least once a week.

After major successes at three UK-based championships at Windsor, Glasgow and Torquay, she qualified to go forward for the UCWDC World 2000 event in Nashville.

She said: "They lined us all up at the end of the two days, and when they called my name I've never cried so much in my whole life.

"I was among the best in the world and everything I did, every move I made, had to be technically perfect. But the atmosphere in the place was just fantastic and carried me along."

Now Rachael, 18, has deferred a place at Liverpool University so she can spend this year trying to turn professional.

Rachael would like to thank all her class members at Huntington Working Men's Club and the Health Service Club in Haxby Road, where she teaches on Monday and Wednesday nights respectively.

"Without their support I couldn't have done all this. They basically paid for me to go with raffles and other fundraisers," she said.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.