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17 March - AUSTRALIA WIN COMMONWEALTH WOMEN’S TEAM TITLE
HOLLIE DYKES AND MONETTE RUSSO PRODUCE AUSTRALIAN MAGIC IN FINALS FOR COMMONWEALTH GOLD
ENGLAND AND CANADA BATTLE FOR SILVER!
The morning session included some beautiful work by Malaysia and an excellent performance from South Africa who led the morning’s qualifier’s with a score of 155.00. Francki Van Rooyen scored a total of 52.400 to finish 11th in the Individual scores after a great performance, with Chanel Moonsammy and Candice Cronje also in the top 20 highest individual scores. India showed excellent progression performing double backs on Floor and Tsukahara vaults.
At the end of the 1st session, the scores were;
RSA 155.00
MAS 141.95
IND 129.40
AUSTRALIA PERFORM IN FRONT OF PACKED ARENA AND TAKE EARLY LEAD IN FIRST ROTATION
The evening session saw a packed Rod Laver Arena where Australian dreams come true as the Women’s Team swept to Commonwealth glory as they easily won the Women’s Team Event by 8.25 points. The English Team battled with the Canadian’s right to the wire and just pipped them for the Silver Medal which was a fantastic achievement after their Captain, World medallist Elizabeth Tweddle was forced to withdraw after injuring her ankle just 3 day’s before the Games began.
Australian fan favourite Monette Russo who was looking forward to resuming her contest with Tweddle after they finished 3rd and 4th at the World Championships in November was herself a major doubt for the competition after also hurting her ankle, but was passed fit on Wednesday. The Australian’s were simply unstoppable with newcomer Hollie Dykes in her first Senior International producing the highest individual score of the Finals on 58.55, with Monette in second place on 57.10, and Canada’s Elyse Hopfner - Hibbs in 3rd position and England’s Imogen Cairns in 4th with 54.80.
The real battle was for Silver as England had a relatively inexperienced Team with 14 year old Becky Downie and Hannah Clowes competing at this level for the first time, and Shavahn Church in only her second International. Imogen Cairns is the most experienced of the England four after finishing 8th in the Vault Final at World’s, and bronze medals in the Stuttgart and Glasgow World Cup Events. And what a fantastic performance we saw from all 4 girls! The packed arena were already cheering on their favourites as England began on Beam and our youngest gymnast Becky Downie held her nerve to post an excellent opening score of 13.45, followed by Shavahn Church who was unlucky to fall on her free cartwheel for a 13.2. Imogen also suffering a point 5 deduction for a hand on beam marked as 13.1, with Hannah Clowes producing a gutsy performance after a couple of wobbles for a 12.9. Beth had been named as Team Reserve and although hobbling on crutches to protect her ankle she gave lots of encouragement from the sidelines cheering on and advising her team mates.
At the end of the first rotation, Australia were in 1st place on 43.45, Canada 2nd on 40.60, New Zealand 3rd with 40.5, South Africa 4th with 40.15 and England in 5th place on 39.75.
Round 2 and the Australian’s increase their lead!
England moved to Floor while Australia moved to Bars and the Aussie team demonstrated fantastic technique with Naomi Russell producing an excellent routine including a full twisting double back dismount with a perfect stuck landing. Chloe Simms had a couple of unusual errors after she repeated a move which meant she was facing the wrong direction but her excellent Jaegar earned her a 13.2. A roar went up when Monette Russo stepped up to Bars as we thought that she might only compete on 2 pieces, but she knew that she needed to compete on all 4 apparatus to help Australia win Commonwealth Gold! Although slightly late on her turns which the Judges penalize heavily under the new Code, Monnete earned a 14.8 which meant Chloe’s 13.2 could be dropped from the Team Score.
England needed good performances on Floor to have any chance of challenging for Medals and Hannah Clowes responded with a strong full twisting double back on her opening tumble followed by one and a half twists, and a good change of tempo and excellent choreography demonstrating good leaps and dance with two and a half twists to end. A great routine for a well earned 13.85. Becky Downie continued the England challenge with a 13.45 before Imogen produced a beautiful double Arabian displaying her usual high standard of dance and tumbling skills with triple twist to finish for 13.85.
Meanwhile Canada’s Alyssia Brown was unfortunate to fall on her dismount for a 0.8 deduction and Gael Mackie was also penalised heavily for 2 falls and only a 12.15. At the end of the 2nd rotation. Australia had increased their lead to 6.25 with a total score of 86.85, with Canada in 2nd place on 80.65, Wales had moved into 3rd place with the return of Sam Bayley and Rhian Pugh, and a team score of 80.15. England had moved into 4th position on 79.8, with Scotland just 0.4 behind on 70.4! In the Individual places it could not be closer as Hollie Dykes and Monette Russo tied with each gymnast on 29.05, Imogen the leading English gymnast and Jessica Gazzi ahead in the Welsh Team. Each gymnast was desperate to finish in the top 8 on each piece to qualify for this weekend’s Individual Apparatus Finals so each dropped tenth of a point could put them out of contention.
Current Scores 1st Australia 85.25, 2nd Canada 80.30, 3rd Wales 80.15, 4th England 79.80, 5th Scotland 79.40.
Rotation 3 and Hollie Dykes and Monette Russo rule the Beam!
Australia were pure class as Hollie Dykes was in unstoppable form, as she hit an excellent beam routine with backflip, and layout linking twists and leaps with a very positive high front somi and a perfect double back dismount with her knees locked into the landing and a competition high of 15.5. Not to be outdone Monnet produced 2 fabulous layouts with a stuck double back. But by this time even if she had fallen, the Australian Team were 8.5 points ahead, and the Commonwealth Title was theirs! .
One interesting point about the new Code came when one of the Australian Team fell on a D element she received an immediate deduction of 0.8. But as the bonus is only 0.4, the question must be asked - Is it fair to penalize someone by double the amount which they would get if they completed the move? Or will this lead to safer gymnastics where moves are only performed in competition if they are secure? Let me know your thoughts as this debate will be sure to rumble on!
Junior European Champion Rhian Pugh returned to high bars after being out of competition due to injury, and hit an excellent routine with a simple safe dismount to protect her neck, and earn a 13.5 for the Welsh Team. Meanwhile Canada were struggling on Floor as Jenna Kerbis and Gael Mackie fell in their tumbling runs, with Mackie particularly unlucky as she had performed a gorgeous routine but fell out of her triple twist. This increased the pressure on the remaining Canadian girls as England were now neck and neck for the Silver medal. But Elyse Hopfner - Hibbs responded with full twisting double pike, then double Arabian, but stepped out of the floor area on her full twisting front and recovered well to finish with a huge double pike for a 13.55 to throw down the challenge once more to England.
The English team knew they were within reach of a Silver medal, and they were now on Vault which had consistently produced the highest scores of the day! Hannah Clowes produced a strong vault with a slight step back for 13.80, while Shavahn Church performed handspring, pike front half turn just stepping out on her landing for 13.6. We needed a big performance and up stepped Imogen who produced an excellent one and a half twisting Yurchenko with a 0.5 bonus for each half twist, Imogen scored a fantastic 14.5. England had moved into second place just 1.75 ahead of the Canadians and Wales as we moved into the final rotation, with England to finish on Bars, and Wales on Beam!
Scores were 1st Australia 131.05, 2nd England 122.00, 3rd Canada 120.25, 4th Wales 120.25, 5th New Zealand 117.15
Who will win Silver? The battle hots up!
Australia were first to go on Floor and what a performance they gave! As Dykes and Russo were neck and neck for individual first place, the Australian crows were on their feet chanting “ Aussie, Aussie, Aussie Oi, Oii, Oi!”. The atmosphere was electric! Hollie was born on the Gold Coast and she had Gold medals in her sights as she stepped up to a roar of anticipation. The Silver Medallist in the Youth Olympics included four tumbles including a superb two and a half twist punch front with good height, but was slightly out on her front full twist but recovered well to finish with double pike which was under rotated. The audience cheered her performance and her smile lit up the whole Arena. A great routine from a new young Australian star! Look out for her this weekend in the Individual All Around and in the Individual Apparatus Finals as she will surely medal again.
Up stepped Monette, and she knew that each step out is a 1 point deduction, but the Team Gold was secure and she went for it in front of her home fans! Reminding us a little of Dos Santos at World’s with her powerful tumbling and confident performance, Monette still needed to protect her ankle, and modified her tumbles but still showed her wonderful ability and technique with great dance and expression for a routine which the audience loved. Monette Russo said afterwards "We all have nerves but it's good to have nerves. I came here to do my programme I'm very happy with that, I'm happy with my floor" (on her ankle injury) "My ankle is fine now!".
So the Commonwealth Team Title goes to Australia, but what about the Silver Medals?
On the other side of the arena, Canada were on vault with Elyse scoring 14.0, and Mackie 13.5, England still had to go on Bars without World Bronze double Medallist and Commonwealth Champion Beth Tweddle! England needed to score more than 42.30 to take Silver, could they do it? Amazingly Beth took off her England tee shirt wearing her leotard as gym fans held their breath! Would she compete despite being advised by Doctors not to, in a bid to claim Silver Medals for England but risk further injury? Fortunately she did not take the risk, and Shavahn scored a fantastic 14.70, Becky posted an excellent routine for a 14.05, Hannah hit 13.6, and Imogen scored 13.35 to win the Silver Medals for England with a total of 164.35, just 1.80 ahead of Canada in the bronze position! Beth commented afterwards "I was really pleased the team spirit was great, they knew what they had to do, and gave a great performance.". Coach Amanda Kirby said: "After Beth's injury she was really upset but she is a great role model for the team and she was there supporting them."
Final Scores were as follows:-
1st - AUS 172.600
2nd - ENG 164.350
3rd - CAN 162.550
4th - WAL 158.750
5th - SCO 156.450
6th - RSA 155.000
7th - NZL 151.550
8th - MAS 141.950
9th - BER 134.950
10th - ND 129.400
11th - IRE 120.550
Individual Top 15 Scores - Commonwealth Team Finals
17th March 2006
1st - Hollie Dykes - Australia 58.55
2nd - Monette Russo - Australia 57.10
3rd - Elyse Hopfner - Hibbs - Canada 56.65
4th - Imogen Cairns - England 54.80
5th - Shavahn Church - England 54.35
6th - Becky Downie - England 54.10
7th - Alyssa Browm - Canada 53.85
8th - Hannah Clowes - England 53.65
9th - Chloe Sims - Australia 53.050
10th - Melanie Roberts - Wales 52.600
11th - Francki Van Rooyen - RSA 52.400
12th - Lynette Lisle - Wales 52.400
13th - Rosalie Hutton - Scotland 51.85
14th - Gael Mackie - Canada 50.950
15th - Emma White - Scotland 50.600
Congratulations to Australia, new Commonwealth Team Champions for 2006! And not forgetting the fantastic performances of England and Canada in making it a truly memorable Final with some excellent performances. Well done to all the home nations and good luck in the Apparatus Finals! We will have a full list of all qualifiers here soon!
Related links - Beth out of Commonwealth Games after ankle injury
Monette Russo given All Clear to compete
Women Gymnasts ready to compete in Melbourne
Canada win Men’s Team Commonwealth Title, England win Bronze.
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Content removed - Ken Summerfield 25th August, 2008
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16 March - Beth Out of Commonwealth Games after Scan confirms Ankle Ligament Damage !
British Gymnastics have confirmed that scans of Beth Tweddle’s injured ankle have revealed ligament damage.
And in an interview tonight with BBC Five Live, Beth confirmed she has had to pull out of the Commonwealth Games. She said “ It's a big disappointment as I was looking forward to the Games but as team captain I'll stay in Melbourne and cheer the team on. It will be difficult watching but I'll have to put the injury behind me now. I knew straight away that something was wrong. The injury is not too severe, it is a bruised bone and the doctors have said I will be back in time for the Europeans in April. In the back of my mind I was still hoping to do the asymetric bars but the doctors advised me to leave it if I wanted to be fit for the Europeans. The Beijing Olympics are still in the back of my mind but I've still not decided whether I will carry on yet."
Beth turned her right ankle during the final podium training for the competition which starts tomorrow ( Friday ) in Melbourne. She was attended by England medics and Games doctors, and initial fears for her fitness were modified as the ankle appeared stable with no obvious ligament damage. With the injury still in it’s early stages hopes were that her ankle would not rule her out of the Competition, where she is hotly tipped to become Commonwealth All Around and Bars Champion. But the 20 year old British Champion and Bronze Medalist at the World Championships has been forced to withdraw. Beth also won Gold and two Silver Medals in Manchester 4 years ago and had been widely tipped to win the Commonwealth All Around and the Uneven Bars Commonwealth Titles in a straight battle with Australia’s Monette Russo, who has also injured her ankle. Tweddle won two bronze medals in the world championships on the asymmetric bars and was fourth in the all-around competition last year. Russo was the only Commonwealth gymnast to beat her at World’s, and gym fans were looking forward to seeing who would emerge as Commonwealth Champion.
Team Manager Mike Weinstock said "Beth is still the England Team captain and she has a vital role to play. Her experience and knowledge of competitions can be of immense value to the other girls. We came here to win medals and that remains our prime aim."
Ironically Beth missed out on the European Championships in 2005 due to injury, and only had surgery on her ankles after the World Championships in November which took place on the same Arena. Get well soon Beth, we know she will be there tomorrow playing a leader’s role to help her Team Mates, despite her own disappointment.
We wish Beth a speedy recovery and hope that she will be back soon and able to compete in the European Championships.
Related Links - Australia win Women’s Team Title at Commonwealth’s, England win Silver!
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16 March - Canada Win Men’s Commonwealth Team Title
Australians Blow Chances of Gold but take Silver Medals
Canada won their fourth Commonwealth Men’s Team Title in Melbourne today after a disastrous opening rounds by the Australian’s cost them their chance of Team Gold!
Kyle Shewfelt performed in only his second competition after returning from injury to score a competition high of 16.600 on Vault performing his trademark Yurchenko layout 2 1 2 and a Tsukuhara layout double twist. Shewfelt also hit the highest score on Floor to lead Canada to their first Team Gold since they won in Victoria in 1994, and earlier Commonwealth Titles in 1978 and 1990. Adam Wong, Nathan Gafuik, Grant Golding, David Kikuchi joined Shewfelt on the Podium as the Canadian National Flag rose and Canada proudly celebrated a winning score of 269.75. Adam Wong also scored the second highest individual score in Qualifier’s with 88.450, with Nathan just behind on 88.300 for the third highest individual score.
The Australian’s had also been one of the favourites for the Commonwealth Title but a disastrous opening round where two of their most experienced gymnasts Philip Rizzo,a triple gold medallist in Manchester 4 years ago, and Damian Istria produced nervous performances and falls on both Floor and Bars routines. Fortunately they recovered in the latter stages to move from 5th place to win the Silver Medals with 268.85. Joshua Jefferis produced an excellent performance to score 90.00 and finish 1st in Qualifier’s, but the Australians will be desperately disappointed after finishing just 0.90 behind Canada and losing their chance for the Commonwealth Title.
England began strongly on Vault edging ahead of Canada and Australia until the closing rounds with Ross Brewer finishing in 4th place with 87.95 and Ryan Bradley 6th on 86.3 during qualifications. Kristian Thomas finished in 11th position on 83.350 which included a 16.00 on Vault. England finished in bronze medal position with 260.00, with Scotland in 4th place on 254.45.
David Eaton from Wales scored 84.1, after recovering from a fall on his opening routine on Pommels but he performed very cleanly on Bars to score 15.25. He said "I was very nervous. I guess it was like waiting 8 years for this chance and I wanted to do well so badly. I had trouble in training with high bar, the squat full hasn't been predictable but I hit it just right and should make the bar final". Northern Ireland’s Matthew Cosgrave was unlucky to sustain an injury during Podium Training but competed on Rings minus his dismount.
A disappointing Qualifier’s included many routines with errors and it is clear that many competitors are still coming to terms with the new Code. But the Canadian’s, Australian’s and England Teams looked strongest with Ryan Bradley, Ross Brewer, Luke Folwell, Louis Smith and Kristian Thomas combining well for a deserved place on the podium for the English Team.
Commonwealth Games 2006, MELBOURNE, AUS
- March 16, Melbourne/AUS -
Team Competition
1. Canada 269.750
2. Australia 268.850
3. England 260.000
4. Scotland 254.450
5. Malaysia 253.350
6. South Africa 245.000
7. New Zealand 239.700
8. Sri Lanka 213.400
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Content removed - Ken Summerfield 25th August, 2008
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16 March - Women’s Commonwealth Games Begin!
England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales set to battle Australians and Canadians for Commonwealth Gold!
A packed Rod Laver Arena is set to welcome the arrival of the Women’s Gymnast’s tomorrow as the battle for Commonwealth Team and Individual Titles begins! The Australian’s will be roared on by their fantastic home support but the home nations, in particular England and Wales will be hoping to take their places on the Medal Podium. Sadly England’s leading gymnast Beth Tweddle has had to withdraw from the Competition due to injury, but team mates Imogen Cairns, Shavahn Church, Hannah Clowes and Beckie Downie will be going head to head against Tracy Skirton’s Welsh Team Rhian Pugh, Samantha Bayley, Mel Roberts, Jessica Gazzi and Lynette Lisle.
The Scottish Team of Carol and Helen Gallashan, Rosalie Hutton and Jennifer Hannah will also be hoping to impress, whilst Northern Ireland’s Northern European Champion Katie Slader, Rachel Forde and Kathryn Ward will also be hoping for success on St. Patrick’s Day in Melbourne.
Look out tomorrow night for full results and don’t forget you can catch all the action LIVE on BBC Interactive tomorrow morning from 8am!
Related Links - Australia win Commonwealth Women’s Team Title, Wngland win Silver!
Beth forced to withdraw from Commonwealth’s due to ankle injury.
Canada win Men’s Team Title, Australia blow chance of Gold, but England win Bronze.
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Above right - Monette Russo shown at the 2005 World Championships on the Podium with her Bronze Medal in the All Around with All Around World Champion Chellsie Memmel and Silver Medallist Nastia Liukin .
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15 March - Monette Russo Cleared to Compete at Commonwealth Games after Ankle Injury Fears
Ironically one of Beth’s biggest rivals for Gold, Australian Monette Russo has also been struggling with an ankle injury but she has been cleared by medical staff to compete in the Individual All Around Competition. Head Coach Peggy Liddick will not risk further injury and will ask Monette to take a further test today before making a final decision.
Monette aged 17 will be keen to repeat her success in the Rod Laver Arena where she won bronze in the All Around Competition at the World Championships in November. She had a short landing during training but has been testing the ankle during podium training and confirmed she is ready to go for Gold in front of her home fans.
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Content removed - Ken Summerfield - 25th August, 2008
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4 March - USA’s Liukin and Horton win Tyson American Cup under new Code
Surprise result in Men’s Event as Horton defeats World All Around Silver Medallist
Nastia Liukin produced another Gold Medal performance in Philadelphia tonight to win the Tyson American Cup Title edging out team mate Shayla Worley by 0.275 points giving the US a 1-2 on the medals rostrum. The World 2005 uneven bars and beam World Champion led throughout the entire competition after leading Friday’s qualifier’s to produce a final score of 60.050. Nastia’s 15.600-point score on bars, where she nailed her double layout dismount, was an event-best, and even a fall on her beam mount did not keep her out of first place. With a one-tenth lead heading into the floor exercise, her final event, Liukin tumbled a clean front handspring, front layout, Randi first pass and finished with a high triple twist, earning the highest score on the event with 15.125 points. The event used the new Code of Points and Nastia’s floor routine was judged at 5.8 for difficulty and execution 9.325. "Coming in here, I wasn't sure what the whole concept was," Liukin said. "After this event, people will get used to it. I think it's a good change.
Liukin also produced the highest on bars, and was second to Shayla Worley on Beam after falling on her new mount. “I tried a little too hard on my beam mount. It was a little nerve-wracking falling so early in the routine, but I had to come back and hit (it)”.
Worley, competing in her first senior-level meet, finished second with 59.775 points. She had the highest balance beam score of the day, 15.350, combining difficult leaps and jumps with acrobatic elements. Her floor routine began with a double arabian, with Shayla performing some nice dance elements, into triple twist followed by punch layout front to Rudy and ended with double pike for a 14.95. “I had so much fun going out and performing on floor,” said Worley “It was amazing at this competition, the energy was amazing.”
A crowd of 4,237 showed their appreciation of some fine performances with the event televised live across the USA on NBC.
Aisha Gerber from Canada claimed the bronze medal with an excellent performance and an all around score of 57.650, with Brazil’s Lais Souza in 4th place.
Surprisingly the established International entrants finished in the lower end of the finalist’s with Russian star Elena Zamolodchikova finishing in 8th place with a disappointing score of 54.575, some 5.475 behind Liukin in the All Around. Elena fell from Bars during her giant ½ to Yaeger for a 12.50, and also had a big step forward on her double tuck dismount from beam. However all of the gymnasts are clearly still adapting to the Code and Elena will be sure to produce gold medal winning performances in this season’s World Cup series which is just beginning.
More surprises in the Men’s Finals where 20 year old Jonathan Horton of Houston won the all-around title ahead of World All Around Silver Medalist Hisashi Mizutori from Japan by just 0.250 points to claim his first major title. Going into his final event on high bar, Horton, had a three-tenths lead over Mizutori, who was a member of Japan’s 2004 Olympic gold medal team. After catching a layout Kovacs, a Kolman and a tucked Kovacs, Horton landed a clean full-twisting double layout to score 15.450 points. Mizutori was the last gymnast on the high bar, but his 15.500 was not enough to overtake Horton. Jonathan also finished 1st on Rings where he scored 9.7 for execution, and also produced the highest vault score of the competition with a 15.600. The rest of his scores all ranked among the top four – an indication of his strength as an all-around athlete, making him a strong contender for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games if he can maintain this great performance.
“The NCAA season prepares me for situations like this,” Horton said. “I’ve been doing routines over and over in competition, so I come into a high-pressure situation like this and feel very confident.”
Durante finished third with 91.350 points. He had the highest parallel bars and pommel horse scores of the day, where his form and extension helped him to scores of 15.500 point and 15.000 points, respectively. “We showed the world that the USA is back on top again,” Durante said. “We are a country that should be looked at as medal contenders.”
Full Results appear below:-
2006 Tyson American Cup
March 4, 2006
Final results (day 2 of 2)
Women’s all-around
1. Nastia Liukin, USA/Parker, Texas, 60.050
2. Shayla Worley, USA/Orlando, Fla., 59.775
3. Aisha Gerber, Canada, 57.650
4. Lais Souza, Brazil, 57.525
5. Elsa Garcia, Mexico, 57.050
6. Zhuoru Zhou, China, 56.325
7. Daria Bijak, Germany, 56.000
8. Elena Zamolodchikova, Russia, 54.575
Men’s all-around
1. Jonathan Horton, USA/Houston, 92.500
2. Hisashi Mizutori, Japan, 92.250
3. David Durante, USA/Garwood, N.J., 91.350
4. Sergey Khorokhordin, Russia, 89.200
5. Fabian Hambuechen, Germany, 89.100
6. Nathan Gafuik, Canada, 88.550
7. Junhao Li, China, 86.850
8. Florent Maree, France, 84.300
SEE PHOTOS FROM THE 2006 AMERICAN CUP and here for Qualifying Scores from Prelims including new routines for Nastia!
CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS FROM THE 2005 AMERICAN CUP!
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4th March - COMMONWEALTH GAMES EXTRA GYMNASTICS TICKETS GO ON SALE TOMORROW!
ARTISTIC AND RHYTHMIC TICKETS ON SALE NOON TOMORROW FOR SOLD OUT EVENTS!
Only 11 days to wait before the Commonwealth Games begin, and fantastic news for gym fans as the Games Organizers have just announced that extra tickets for the sold out Artistic and Rhythmic Gymnastics events will go on sale at 12 noon AEDST ( Australian time ) tomorrow 5 March 2006!
“We are delighted to make available additional tickets to the general public, particularly to a number of sports that had previously been unavailable,” Games CEO John Harnden said. “These tickets will be available on a first come, first served basis and won’t last long.
“Starting at just $15, this is a great opportunity to be a part of a special celebration. We continue to be pleased with interest in the Games from around Australia and look forward to the eyes of the world turning to Melbourne in just 11 days time.”
Don’t miss this last opportunity to be at the Commonwealth Gymnastics Events in person as Beth, Monette, Rhian, Imogen and all your Commonwealth favourites will be battling for Commonwealth Gold!
CLICK HERE TO BOOK COMMONWEALTH GYMNASTICS TICKETS ONLINE
And if you can’t travel to Melbourne, don’t forget you can still see every Gym Final LIVE on BBC Interactive if you have digital TV! Click here to see all the Gymnastics TV times PLUS a special link to Sky TV so you can get digital TV before the Games begin, and don’t miss any of the action!
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Content removed - Ken Summerfield - 25th August, 2008
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3 March - 2006 Tyson American Cup
Nastia and Shayla top Women’s Qualifier’s,
Mizutori and Horton lead Men’s Event
SEE PHOTOS FROM THE 2006 AMERICAN CUP
CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS FROM THE 2005 AMERICAN CUP!
March 3, 2006
Preliminary round
Day one of two
Top eight advance to March 4 competition; only top two U.S. athletes advance
Women’s all-around results
1. Nastia Liukin, USA/Parker, Texas, 61.100
2. Shayla Worley, USA/Orlando, Fla., 60.000
3. Bianca Flohr, USA/Creston, Ohio, and Jacquelyn Johnson, USA/West Chester, Ohio, 57.550 (tie)
5. Lais Souza, Brazil, 57.300
6. Elsa Garcia, Mexico, 56.300
7. Aisha Gerber, Canada, 55.950
8. Daria Bijak, Germany, 55.750
9. Elena Zamolodchikova, Russia, 55.250
10. Zhuoru Zhou, China, 54.750
11. Maryna Kostiuchenko, Ukraine, 51.150
12. Kyoko Oshima, Japan, 50.400
Men’s all-around results
1. Hisashi Mizutori, Japan, 91.600
2. Jonathon Horton, USA/Houston, Texas, 91.400
3. David Durante, USA/Garwood, New Jersey, 90.950
4. Sergey Khorokhordin, Russia, 90.450
5. David Sender, USA/Chicago, Illinois, 89.050
6. Fabian Hambuechen, Germany, and Brett McClure, USA/Mill Creek, Wash., 88.900 (tie)
8. Junhao Li, China, 87.950
9. Nathan Gafuik, Canada, 87.600
10. Ryuta Nakazato, Japan, 87.400
11. Florent Maree, France, 87.100
12. Razvan Dorin Selariu, Romania, 85.750
13. Danilo Nogueira, Brazil, 84.850
USA’s Liukin, Horton advance to the Tyson American Cup Finals
March 3, 2006 – 2005 world uneven bars and balance beam champion Nastia Liukin of Parker, Texas, and Jonathan Horton of Houston are the top two of four American athletes advancing to the 2006 Tyson American Cup, March 4, at the Liacouras Center at Temple University in Philadelphia. Liukin finished first at the conclusion of the women’s preliminary round, with Japan’s Hisashi Mizutori landing at the top after the men’s all-around prelim. Saturday’s competition begins at 11:15 a.m.
The USA’s Shayla Worley of Orlando, Fla./Orlando Metro Gymnastics, and David Durante of Garwood, N.J./Team Chevron, also advanced. Brazil’s Lais Souza, who finished fifth among the women, was the top international woman qualifying for Saturday’s competition. The competition’s format is that only the top two U.S. finishers for the men and the women advance.
Liukin, who trains at WOGA, took the lead after the second rotation with a 15.350 on uneven bars, the highest woman’s individual score for the competition. Since the 2005 World Championships, Liukin has changed several skills in her routines to comply with the new Code of Points. Her uneven bars routine featured an Ono with an extra half turn, and her beam routine included a new acrobatic series, a back-handspring, back layout, back pike. Liukin, the 2006 U.S. champion, also earned the meet’s highest scores on balance beam and floor exercise for an all-around total of 61.100, 1.10 points ahead of her closest competitor. “This is a huge meet, and I wanted to do more than just come in and try my new skills,” Liukin said. “I wanted to hit (my routines) and I’ll come in tomorrow to hopefully do the same.”
Shayla Worley finished second on the women’s side with 60.000 points. Her bars, beam and floor scores were the second-highest scores of the day on each event. For the new Code, her routines have been updated since the 2005 Visa Championships, where she finished third all-around in the junior division. “It’s great, it’s awesome, it’s like a dream come true,” Worley said of advancing. “It’s so exciting to prove myself in my first senior competition and it’s a great way to start off 2006.”
Horton, who competes for the University of Oklahoma, finished second overall with 91.400 points, just two-tenths behind Mizutori. Horton had the meet’s highest scores on rings, 15.350 points, and floor, 15.650 points, where he ended his routine with a double-twisting double tuck. “Without question, when I landed my high bar dismount, I knew I qualified for finals tomorrow,” Horton said. “Being my first Tyson American Cup, I am excited about being on national television.”
Durante’s performances on his last two apparatus, high bar and floor exercise pulled him into third place. Each of his scores ranked among the top six. “I’m so excited that I made it to tomorrow,” Durante said. “I have a lot of people coming, and they’ll be able to see me compete. I didn’t want to be up in the stands.”
Tickets are $25, $35 and $75 and may be purchased through several different avenues: via phone at 888.OWLS.TIX; online at liacourascenter.com; or in person at the Liacouras Center Box Office. Competition on March 4 starts at 11:30 a.m. The event will be aired live on NBC, beginning at 1 p.m. ET.
Athletes advancing to 2006 Tyson American Cup Final on March 4
(in finishing order)
Women
Nastia Liukin, USA/Parker, Texas
Shayla Worley, USA/Orlando, Fla.
Lais Souza, Brazil
Elsa Garcia, Mexico
Aisha Gerber, Canada
Daria Bijak, Germany
Elena Zamolodchikova, Russia
Zhuoru Zhou, China
Men
Hisashi Mizutori, Japan
Jonathan Horton, USA/Houston
David Durante, USA/Garwood, N.J.
Sergey Khorokhordin, Russia
Fabian Hambuechen, Germany
Junhao Li, China
Nathan Gafuik, Canada
Florent Maree, France
Related Links - US Gymnastics Announces USA Women’s Team for American Cup
Liukin & Horton win American Cup Titles.
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Great Britain and South African Teams at the Notts School of Gymnastics with both GB Teams enjoying medal success. Photo copyright of Sue Snelgrove.
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3 March - Great Britain v RSA Junior Boy’s Internationals
Fantastic Results for British Boys
Two terrific performances from Great Britain’s Junior Boy’s Teams against South Africa were rewarded with Gold Medals and International debuts from our Boy’s Teams.
The first International took place in a packed East Midlands Gymnastics Centre, at the Rushcliffe Leisure Centre, West Bridgford, on 26th February, where the audience were treated to an exciting competition. Britain selected two Under-18 teams of four boys per team, with all the boys selected including Zach Walker, 12, and Andy Smith, 15, of Nottingham, making their British debuts.The GB "Blue" Team of Andrew Smith, Neil Robertson, Liam Herring and
Matthew Hennessey scored a total of 225.3 (under a modified version of the new 2006 code) to beat the South Africa "Gold" team of Lindo Ngcongo, Pieter Le Roux, Cullen Butler and Sven Ruygrok into second place on 215.1. The second very young GB "Red" team of Sam Fern, Robert Sansby, Daniel Powers and Zach Walker came less than 2 marks behind on 213.25 to gain a creditable 3rd place pushing the South African Green team of Andre Retief, Bonolo Masilela, Kevin Basson and Daniel Marais into 4th place on 205.00.
Trevor Low, chairman of British Men's Gymnastics Technical Committee, said: "A big thank you to Notts School of Gymnastics and the Nottingham public for supporting the competition and Notts School of Gymnastics for boys for putting on and hosting the competition. Everything was 100%, with the South African delegation overwhelmed with the hospitality. In the current atmosphere of a lack of financial support, partnerships of good will like this are worth their weight in gold.”
The second international was held in London on Tuesday 28th (with different GB teams) and GB Blue came 1st and GB Red second. Full results and photos will appear here shortly. In the meantime, our first photo of the GB and South African Teams appears above.
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2 March - NOTTS BOYS GET CASH BOOST AS PUBLIC DEMONSTRATE THEIR SUPPORT!
Great news from Notts School of Gymnastics today as Sportacts, a Nottingham- based Sports Charity, has offered to contribute towards the cost of sending a Great Britain team to the 11th Junior International Junior Team Cup in Berlin this weekend.
The Notts School of Gymnastics provides training for Sam Oldham, 12, Reece Pearson, 13, Andy Smith, 14, and Sam Hunter, 17, has also received support from two anonymous members of the public. "Unfortunately, they didn't leave their details so there no way of thanking them," said club spokesman Bobby Oldham. “The contributions are a major boost to the boys selected and proves yet again that the public attitude is far different from that of Richard Caborn and the Government's lack of urgency and basic understanding of the situation and what is needed to produce Olympic athletes. I am sure China, USA and Russia will be going 'Faster, Stronger, Higher' in 2012. But will Team GB?”.
Bobby has campaigned strongly for increased funding after British Gymnastics funding was cut and 13 Coaches had to be released by British Gymnastics as a result. The gymnast’s plight was also featured in the Daily Telegraph recently by Sports Interviewer of the Year Sue Mott who gave great support to the gymnast’s, and called for funds to be reinstated and a coherant structured funding to be put in place urgently to help prepare for London 2012, but 7 months after London won the Bid, we are still waiting for news of increased funding.
The support from Sportacts and from members of the public is very encouraging and we would also like to highlight these great demonstrations in support of the Notts Boys.
Full results from the 11th Junior International ( formerly known as the OBI Cup) including Reece Pearson from Notts winning Gold in the Under 14 Section by a amazing 10.75 points will be here shortly!
Related Links - GB v RSA International held at Notts School of Gymnastics, and here to visit the Sportacts Web Site to find out more about their great work
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Brett McClure who will be representing the USA in the Tyson American Cup on 10th and 11th March in Philadelphia, Photo copyright of Steve Lange and must not be copied or reproduced in any way without permission.
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1 March - USA Gymnastics names U.S. Women's Team
for 2006 Tyson American Cup
USA Gymnastics have released details of the Women’s Team who will compete at the 2006 American Cup following the Selection Camp at the USA Gymnastics Training Centre in Huntsville, Texas which concluded yesterday. The Team will be led by the 2005 world uneven bars and balance beam champion Nastia Liukin of W.O.G.A, Texas, and her team mates will be Bianca Flohr of Cincinnati Gymnastics Academy; Jacquelyn Johnson also from Cincinnati Gymnastics Academy; and Shayla Worley of Orlando Metro Gymnastics
The Tyson American Cup, one of the sport's premier international events, is an all-around invitational competition showcasing the top male and female gymnasts in the world. This year's Tyson American Cup is also the first premier international invitational in the United States to use the sport's new scoring system.
In addition to her two gold medals, Liukin, who trains at WOGA, claimed silver medals in the all-around and floor exercise at the 2005 World Championships in Melbourne, Australia. She also won the all-around, uneven bars and balance beam at the 2005 Visa Championships, where she was second in the floor exercise. Flohr was a member of the U.S. Women's Team that won the team gold medal at the 2005 Pan Am Championships, where she was the silver medalist on the uneven bars. Earlier this year, Flohr and Johnson were members of the team that won the title at a friendly competition between the USA, Japan and New Zealand, where Johnson also won gold medals in both the uneven bars and floor exercise. As a junior in 2005, Worley won the balance beam title at the U.S. Classic and was second on the balance beam and third in the all-around at the Visa Championships. At the Massilia Gym Cup, she earned silver medals on the uneven bars and for the team.
The four men on the U.S. squad are David Durante of Garwood, N.J./Team Chevron, Jonathan Horton of Houston, Texas/University of Oklahoma, Brett McClure of Mill Creek, Wash./Team Chevron, and David Sender of Arlington Heights, Ill./Stanford University. Thirteen men and 11 women from Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, Japan, Romania, Russia and Ukraine.
For 2006, the Tyson American Cup returns to its traditional all-around format, with eight men and eight women competing in the finals on March 4, which will be televised live on NBC Sports at 1 p.m. ET.
Tyson American Cup tickets are $27, $37 and $77 and may be purchased through several different avenues: via phone at 888.OWLS.TIX; online at liacourascenter.com; or in person at the Liacouras Center Box Office. Competition on March 4 starts at 11:30 a.m., with opening ceremonies starting at 11:15 a.m.
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1st March - CHRISTOPHER FORDHAM - FATAL ACCIDENT
BRITISH GYMNASTICS PAYS TRIBUTE AFTER TRAGIC DEATH OF INTERNATIONAL GYMNAST
British Gymnastics was shocked and distressed to learn of the untimely death on Monday 27th February, of one of Britain’s most promising Double Mini Trampoline gymnasts. Chris Fordham, an experienced International performer, had represented Great Britain on numerous occasions including the 2003 and 2005 World Championships.
Christopher was injured whilst training at the Jumpers Rebound Centre in Gillingham, Kent on Saturday 18th February. Christopher’s training pass resulted in him missing the 6m landing area and landing on his back on the floor covered with 20mm floor mats. Christopher’s head hit the floor and resulted in a fractured skull. First Aid was provided by the trained First Aid staff at the centre and the Ambulance Service was at the scene within minutes. Christopher was taken to the Medway Maritime Hospital, where it was discovered that the shock to the brain was also causing severe swelling and cranial pressure. Christopher was later transferred to King’s College Hospital where he underwent an operation to relieve the pressure on his brain and where his condition was described as critical but stable.
Tragically, Christopher’s condition deteriorated during the evening of Sunday 26th February and the decision was taken on Monday 27th February to discontinue his life support systems, when tests revealed permanent and irreversible brain damage.
“It would appear that this is a rare, but tragic, accident” said British Gymnastics Chief Executive, Alan Sommerville. “The Jumpers Rebound Centre in Gillingham is one of the most modern, dedicated Trampoline facilities in Europe, if not the World; their safety provision is to the highest International standards. Christopher was preparing for a trial for the European Championships to be held in Metz, France in May this year and was training with other National Squad members. He was working on passes he had successfully performed safely hundreds of times, under the expert guidance of the National Squad Coach. Double Mini Trampoline, a discipline of Trampolining, is not an Olympic sport and has never received Lottery funding. Nevertheless, British performers, under their own resources and supported by British Gymnastics, are of World Class standard.”
“Everyone in the sport will be devastated by this accident and the untimely loss of such a promising and experienced athlete. We have an enormously dedicated squad of gymnasts and Coaches, whose morale will have taken a severe knock following this accident. In time, they will recover and continue to develop, but at this time”, said Alan Sommerville, “all of our thoughts must be with Christopher’s family and close friends, for whom this tragedy will never diminish, but for whom Christopher’s achievements may later be a comfort, together with the knowledge that he was a great credit to his country, following the sport he loved and passionately believed in.”
This tragic event has shocked everyone involved in gymnastics, and I know that all of our visitors will join us in passing on our sincere condoloncies, thoughts and prayers to Christopher’s family and friends.
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1 March - FRIENDSHIP CLASSIC 2006 PENNSYLVANIA, USA
STILL TIME TO ENTER THIS FABULOUS INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION!
One of the highlights of the gymnastics calendar takes place soon as the 8th annual Friendship Classic takes place at the Pottsville Gymnastics Centre in Pennsylvania, USA from 31st March - 2nd April. The Friendship Classic has gained International fame as twenty three countries including Russia, China, USA, Great Britain and the Ukraine have taken part in a unique competition, with age group gymnasts get a great opportunity to participate in a competition alongside some of the world's top gymnasts.
No other invitational in the USA has had as many different countries participate as the Friendship Classic. Many of the gymnasts have competed in the European Championships, World Championships and Olympic Games. Past participants include World and Olympic gold medalists.
An amazing fourteen past Friendship Classic participants represented their countries at the 2004 Olympic Games, and the 2005 Classic included the All Around Olympic bronze medalist Zhang Nan from China who won Silver in the All Around Senior Division at the 2005 Friendship Classic. Last year’s Senior Division was won by Grace Taylor from Aitken, USA who edged Zhang into the Silver medal position by just 0.60! Other past competitors include Svetlana Khorkina, Oksana Chusovitna, Suzanne Harmes, Lisa Skinner.
This year gymnasts from China, Russia, the Ukraine, and Australia will line up against gymnasts from some of the developing countries including Columbia, Albania and South Africa. As many as 16 countries at one time have participated in the past making the Friendship Classic one of the largest International Invitational competitions in the USA.
The Friendship Classic also includes the World-Class Competition where age group gymnasts in Level 4 -10 go head to head against other. And in a unique opportunity as all Age Group gymnasts take part in the World Class March In to welcome the International gymnasts. Here is a fantastic opportunity for the future stars of our sport to compete in the same event as top International gymnasts! Don’t miss your chance to take part in this fantastic event - Full details of the 2005 Winners and entry details are below!
2005 Senior Division
Grace Taylor (USA/Aiken) 1st All Around, Zhang Nan (China) 2nd All Around, Britnee Habbib (Canada) 3rd All Around;
Junior Division
Han Bing ( China ) 1st All Around, Silver Kelsey Hope (Canada) 2nd All Around, and Bronze Ekaterina Kramarenko (Russia)
And there is still time for your Club to take part! The 8th annual Friendship Classic will be March 31-April 2, 2006.
CLICK HERE FOR 2006 ENTRY FORM
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FIG International (Elite)
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USAG Level 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10 (Open Optional)
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USAG Pennsylvania Prep Optional
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Countries That Have Taken Part In Friendship Classic
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Netherlands
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Uzbekistan
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Latvia
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Russia
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Great Britain
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Venezuela
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Lithuania
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Albania
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Poland
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Hungary
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Puerto Rico
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Honduras
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Belgium
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Mexico
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Australia
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Ukraine
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Singapore
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Germany
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Northern Ireland
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China
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Canada
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South Africa
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Columbia
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18 Match - SUPER SATURDAY AT COMMONWEALTH’S FOR AUSSIES AS JOSH JEFFERIS WINS MEN’S ALL AROUND, AND CHLOE SIMS WINS WOMEN’S!
CANADA & AUSTRALIA IN TIE BREAK FOR GOLD IN COMMONWEALTH FINALS!
HOLLIE WINS BRONZE JUST 0.025 AHEAD OF IMOGEN DESPITE 4 FALLS!
A day of drama in the Rod Laver Arena which began even before the girls marched out when Australian Monette Russo, who placed 3rd in the All Around at World’s was forced to pull out due to her ankle injury. England’s Beth Tweddle who was fourth in the World’s All Around was also unable to take part in the qualifying event due to ligament damage to her ankle, which left the battle for Gold and the Commonwealth Title wide open to the 24 finalist’s! The loss of 2 of the World’s top 4 All Around Finalist’s at World’s was a major blow, and was obviously going to affect the overall quality and fan’s anticipation of the Final, but who would step up to seize their chance to become the new Commonwealth All Around Champion ?
England had 3 finalist’s Imogen Cairns, Shavanh Church and Becky Downie, while Canada’s Elsye Hofpner-Hibbs, Gael Mackie and Alyssa Brown were also strong individual challengers. The Welsh and Scottish flags also flew proudly as Melanie Roberts and Lynette Lisle qualified for Wales, while Rosalie Hutton and Carol Gallashan represented Scotland. But the patriotic crowd were there to see more Aussie medals after their sensational team gold in the Team Event on Friday where Monette Russo, Chloe Sims and new Aussie fan favourite Hollie Dykes, all qualified for today’s All Around Final.
CHLOE TAKES EARLY LEAD, BUT IMOGEN IN SECOND PLACE ON FIRST ROTATION
Canada’s Elyse Hopfner-Hibbs opened strongly on Vault with good shape and execution for 13.90. Fifteen year old Chloe Sims from Australia began on Bars including a very high Yaeger with good technique and body form and a double twisting dismount to score 14.75 from a 6.60 Start Value. New Aussie star Hollie Dykes who only made her Senior Debut at this level in yesterday’s Team Event opened on Vault with a Yurchenko with one and a half twists but was short on rotation with her shoulders behind her feet which caused her to sit the dismount but she was still awarded what looked to be a slightly generous 13.8 from a 5.5 SV. Becky Downie opened for England with her Yuchenko full twisting vault but landed slightly off and a big step back for a 13.85 from a 5.0 SV, but a good start for Becky. Rosalie Hutton opened for Scotland with a good full twisting Ktachev followed by another Ktachev in a well constructed routine for the 16 year old from Piper’s Vale, and a 12.7. Shavanh Church from Heathrow began on Vault with her handspring pike front half turn with good flight and a powerful vault for 13.65. Imogen Cairns was the last English gymnast and her excellent one and a half twist on vault with just a slight cross over of her feet on landing for a terrific opening score of 14.6 from a 5.5 SV, as Imogen moved into second place.
Scores after 1st rotation - 1st Chloe Sims Australia 14.75, 2nd Imogen Cairns England 14.60, 3rd equal Elyse Hopfner - Hibbs, Canada and Lynette Lisle, Wales 13.9, 5th Becky Downie, England 13.85, 6th Hollie Dykes, Australia 13.8, 7th equal Shavahn Church, England and Katie Slader, Northern Ireland 13.65.
SHAVANH MOVES TO SECOND PLACE PLUS A GREAT PERFORMANCE FROM BECKY ON BARS
Scotland’s Carol Gallashan from the City of Liverpool produced a strong full twisting Yurchenko on vault for a 13.95. Over to beam, and the current leader Chloe Sims who produced a solid determined focused performance, despite a couple of wobbles and a cautious approach. Chloe displayed good technique and a huge double front dismount for a 14.55 from a SV of 6.3, and the roars of approval from her thousands of supporters. Hollie Dykes went to Bars and was in terrific form with Ktachev, Yaeger, with good extension and packed difficulty but sadly she was unable to complete a turn and fell back, but she recovered to finish with a full twisting double tuck clean dismount. A great pity for the young Australian who had performed beautifully the day before to win her first Team Gold, and she scored 13.7 despite her fall. Becky Downie was in great form on Bars as she produced Stalder with beautiful pirouettes, one and a half to full Stalder followed by Ktactchev finishing with a fantastic full twisting double back dismount. Her face was an absolute picture as she came off delighted with her performance, and a very well deserved 14.0 to take her into 5th position. Shavahn Church hit a great Bars routine to the delight of her team mates and supporters as she scored 14.85 to equal the second highest score of the day, and move into second place. Imogen followed on Bars with a good strong clean routine which received 13.4 but she dropped slightly to 4th place as we moved to the half way stage. Elyse was last to go on Bars with her powerful technique but she was unfortunate to miss her one and a half pirouette in the middle of her routine which meant half turn adjustments and a slight drop in posture cost her deductions, but her chrisp technique was great to see, and Elyse is still in contention for a Canadian medal.
Scores after 2nd rotation - 1st Chloe Sims 29.30, 2nd Shavahn Church 28.50, 3rd Elyse Hopner-Hibbs 28.10, 4th Imogen Cairns 28.0, 5th Becky Downie 27.85, 6th Hollie Dykes 27.50, 7th Gael Mackie 27.15, 8th Carol Gallashan 27.60
ELYSE MOVES TO FIRST POSITION AS EXCITEMENT BUILDS
As the gymnasts marched around, the crescendo of noise built around the Arena, as just 1.2 separated our top 3 gymnasts and as expected, Chloe and Hollie were getting most of the support from the Australian crowd. Flags from around the World were waved in a fantastic demonstration of support with flags from England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland standing proudly as the music echoed around the vast arena. The noise gradually subsided as the judges signalled they were ready, and gymnasts could be clearly heard shouting encouragement to their team mates.
Alyssa Brown from Canada produced a polished dramatic routine with good acrobatic tumbling skills, but sadly she went outside the floor area on her one and a half twist, step out to two and a half twists for a costly deduction of 1.0 and a score of 13.3. Hollie Dykes knew after her opening 2 falls that this routine was vital, but her opening free cartwheel on beam caused her to fall again, but she again showed great maturity with beautiful flighted elements. Hollie stuck her double tuck dismount and the crowd erupted as she posted a 14.85 to move into the top three. Her poise and elegance reminded us of Morgan White and Nastia Liukin which is a huge compliment to a new face on the International scene.! Canadian Gael Mackie moved to Vault and produced a terrific performance and score of 14.05 to move into 2nd place, but could Australia and England respond?
Becky Downie was first up on Beam which England had struggled with on the previous day. Becky showed good control with just a few wobbles and an excellent side somi, but was very unlucky to land on the edge of the beam on her change leg as she momentarily lost sight of the beam and she fell awkwardly and landed on her back. Luckily she shook her head and got back up quickly and completed her double twisting dismount but was disappointed with her score of 12.55. Shavahn was next up for England on Beam and she quickly showed her U.S. influenced style with great leaps and combinations with very precise technique, but she had a 0.5 penalty as she fought to stay on but put her hand on the beam to save a fall. And for the second day, she was a little slower than her normal training routine and Shavahn incurred a time penalty after the second whistle blew. Nevertheless a good routine and a well deserved 13.35. Imogen was last to go for England and quickly showed how much her All Around performance has improved as she incorporated difficult elements with excellent combinations but a big step outside the mat on her two and a half twist dismount was heavily penalised but a great performance from Imogen and 13.6 from the Judges. Elyse then showed her ability on beam as she performed a beautiful free cartwheel and 2 layouts followed by good jumps and spins including an Illusion full turn and a huge double back dismount to the cheers from the crowd and the highest score of the day - 15.00 and first position for the young Canadian. Only 0.20 between Elyse and Chloe with Hollie, Shavanh and Imogen all challenging for medals. Who would be crowned as the new Commonwealth All Around Champion?
Scores after 3rd roatation - 1st Elyse Hopfner - Hibbs 43.10, 2nd Chloe Sims 42.90, 3rd Hollie Dykes 42.35, 4th Shavanh Church 41.85, 5th Imogen Cairns 41.60, 6th Gael Mackie 41.20, 7th Carol Gallashan 40.80, 8th Becky Downie 40.40.
“Aussie, Aussie, Aussie” but two Appeals are made as the Commonwealth Title goes to a nail biting Tie Break!
As the final rotation began the crowd roared “Aussie, Aussie, Aussie, Oi, Oi, Oi” but it was neck and neck! Shavahn produced a good opening high double Arabian tumble, followed by a double twisting front with a nice change of tempo, and her elegant style and graceful interpretation to finish with a one and a half twist,. A good solid routine in a great atmosphere and 13.15 for Shavanh. Imogen is renowned for her strong floor and vault work, and she opened with a huge double Arabian an a delighted confident grin as she landed it perfectly. Her one and a half twist step out to double twist was nailed and her choreography and interpretation put her in medal contention as she hit a 14.15, with the positions now 1st Imogen, 2nd Shavahn and 3rd Becky Downie!
Elyse stepped onto Floor and began with a beautiful triple spin and launched into her first tumble of full twisting double back but her momentum carried her over the line for 2 steps out and a very costly 1.0 deduction. Elyse hit her double Arabian and the fast up tempo music matched the audience’s mood as her double pike finish, was it enough? Chloe stood at vault knowing one vault could make her All Around Commonwealth Champion! The audience roared their support as she produced a handspring pike with half turn. Both girls waited for what must have seemed an eternity for the Judges scores. Elyse posted 14.00 for a total of 57.10, and a whoop of joy from the Canadian girls, but Chloe received 14.2 to produce a dead heat with only Hollie Dykes still to go! Hollie went for broke with full in back out followed by two and a half twists punch front, but she sat the punch front for her 4th fall of the Finals. Good dance and choreography produced a score of 13.45 and a total of 55.800 in bronze medal position, just 0.05 ahead of England’s Imogen Cairns who was desperately unlucky not to medal. Hollie has a real presence which set her apart from the other gymnasts, and she looks a real prospect for Beijing 2008. England’s young gymnasts will also have gained fantastic experience which will help their preparation for the European Championships in April with Beth also expected to be fit to compete after missing out on European’s last year.
The drama was not finished yet as both the Canadian’s and Australian’s protests against the scores foe Elyse and Chloe, and the F.I.G’s decision to count back the top three scores for each girl made Chloe the All Around Title with her score of 43.50 and Elyse the Silver with her total of 43.20. Hollie collected bronze as the girls smiled proudly on the Rostrum, the Australian fans celebrated triple Aussie Gold after Josh Jefferis took the Men’s All Around Title on their Super Saturday earlier today, and the Australian Women won Commonwealth Team Gold yesterday!
A good Final but one question kept the debate amongst gym fans around the World raging long into the night - Who would have won Gold if Beth Tweddle and Monette Russo had been able to compete?
Final scores appear below.
2006 Commonwealth Games
Saturday, March 18, Melbourne -
RESULTS: Women's All-Around
1. Chloe Sims AUS 57.100
2. Elyse Hopfner-Hibbs CAN 57.100
3. Hollie Dykes AUS 55.800
4. Imogen Cairns ENG 55.750
5. Shavahn Church ENG 55.000
6. Alyssa Brown CAN 54.600
7. Gael Mackie CAN 54.050
8. Becky Downie ENG 53.700
9. Lynette Lisle WAL 53.500
10. Carol Galashan SCO 53.300
11. Rosalie Hutton SCO 52.550
12. Katie Slader NIR 51.600
13. Emma White SCO 51.350
14. Chanel Moonsammy RSA 50.800
15. Belinda Castles NZL 50.600
16. Olivia Jobsis NZL 50.550
17. Francki van Rooyen RSA 49.950
18. Melanie Roberts WAL 49.950
19. Nabihah Binti Ali MAS 48.200
20. B. Abd Hamid Nurul Fatiha MAS 48.050
21. Kathryn Ward NIR 47.800
22. Candice Cronje RSA 47.450
23. Kaisey Griffith BER 46.100
24. Caitlyn Mello BER 46.000
>> Click here for full Women's AA Results
JOSH JEFFERIS TAKES COMMONWEALTH TITLE AHEAD OF RIZZO BUT SPORT IS THE REAL WINNER AS WORLD LOOKS ON
Full results appear below, look out for our report here soon.
2006 Commonwealth Games
- Saturday, March 18, Melbourne -
RESULTS: Men's All-Around
1. Joshua Jefferis AUS 89.450
2. Nathan Gafuik CAN 88.350
3. Philippe Rizzo AUS 88.200
4. Adam Wong CAN 87.400
5. Ng Shu Wai MAS 87.050
6. Ross Brewer ENG 86.400
7. Ryan Bradley ENG 86.300
8. David Eaton WAL 85.000
9. Adam Cox SCO 84.950
10. Steven Friedman RSA 83.950
11. Mark Holyoake NZL 82.700
12. Kristian Thomas ENG 82.650
13. Ooi Wei Siang MAS 82.200
14. Gerhard Swiegers RSA 82.150
15. Daniel Good NZL 82.000
16. Ashish Kumar IND 79.950
17. John Honiball NAM 79.800
18. Troy Sender RSA 79.400
19. Alexander Hedges IOM 77.450
20. Misha Koudinov NZL 77.400
21. Rohit Jaiswal IND 75.500
22. Eranda N. Gunasekara Dias SRI 71.600
23. Ekanayake Mudi Anselagep SRI 57,100
24 Srivastava Myank IND 28.350
> Click here for full Men's AA Results
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