Men Win Nine Medals at Gymsport International
Scotland’s gymnasts came home with nine medals from the seventh Gymsport International in Portugal, including silver in the men’s team competition.
It was second year the men’s artistic gymnasts have taken part in the event in Anadia but the first time they competed in the team event. They were up against 12 others in what was a competitive international field, coming in second behind hosts Portugal.
Each team was made up of a senior, junior and an under 14 gymnast, with Scotland entering two teams into the competition. The silver medallists were Scottish Artistic Champions in their respective age categories, Kelvin Cham, Pavel Karnejenko & Reuben Ward, with David Weir, Joshua Lincoln and Rory Smith just missing out on a medal in fourth place. Ben Henderson, Adam Logan and Cameron Lister also competed as individuals.
Jamie Bowie, Scottish Gymnastics’ Performance Manager (Olympic Disciplines) was team manager in Anadia. He said:
“GymSport International was an excellent development opportunity for our gymnasts and coaches across the pathway and it was fantastic to see them taking full advantage of being able to learn at an international competition over two days.
“For the more experienced gymnasts, it was about challenging themselves by adding new skills into their routines, especially for those looking to qualify for the Commonwealth Games. Some of the results highlighted the areas to work on and it’s now about taking that back in to the training environment where they’ll continue to refine their new work over the next few months.
“It was really nice to see the younger gymnasts benefitting from mentoring from the more experienced gymnasts while they went around the apparatus together in the team competition. Looking at their longer-term aspirations in the sport, the exposure to international competition will be invaluable in their development.”
In all, the group won two gold, five silver, and two bronze medals. Congratulations guys – good work!
Team competition
Scotland I Kelvin Cham, Pavel Karnejenko, & Reuben Ward 2nd
Scotland II David Weir, Joshua Lincoln & Rory Smith 4th
All Around competition
Senior Kelvin Cham 3rd
Junior Pavel Karnejenko 1st
Individual apparatus
U14 Reuben Ward: Vault 2nd; Floor finals
Rory Smith: Parallel Bars 2nd; High Bar 2nd; Vault finals
Senior Kelvin Cham: Floor 1st; Vault finals
David Weir: Floor 3rd / Vault 2nd
Junior Pavel Karnejenko: Rings, Parallel Bars, and High Bar finals
Josh Lincoln: Rings and High bar finals