Purvis Adds Individual Commonwealth Bronze
Dan Purvis has won a second gymnastics medal for Scotland at the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games.
Dan’s performance in the floor final earned him an individual bronze, to add to the men’s team bronze on day one of this five-day event. Hamish Carter, continuing to impress in his first major final, was right behind him in fourth place.
In the women’s artistic event, Shannon Archer came fifth and Cara Kennedy seventh in the vault final, putting in impressive performances. The City of Glasgow gymnasts have delivered every time they have taken to the arena, and today they were both within a point of the gold medal position.
Dan was also in action in the rings final, where he finished in seventh place.
Speaking after the medal presentation, he said:
"It feels great. It has been one of those Commonwealth Games which has been a rollercoaster of emotions. Getting the team medal was the priority out here. To have done that with such a fantastic team performance with the guys was great. The icing on the cake individually was just great to get that bronze medal on the floor. It was a tough final, you know, Hamish had two fantastic floor routines and a third today and just missed out on a medal in fourth. I knew it would be tough with Olympic champion Max Whitlock on the floor and I’d have to do a really great routine so it’s great to come away with a medal.
"It feels special to get another medal as my mum and dad and my aunty from Dundee flew out to see me. Much as it was great to get the team medal, to come away with a individual medal is really fantastic and fills me with pride and it wasn’t a wasted journey for them to come out! That’s really emotional for me, as I know how much it means to my parents and my family to see me do the best I can and Jeff Brooks, my coach back home, will hopefully be happy with some of my performances!"
Speaking about her first Commonwealth experience, Shannon said: “I am extremely happy how the Games have been for me because three days back-to-back competition is always tough. To come out in the vault final and manage to get my two vaults in and beat my qualification score was a pretty good achievement.
“It is a great achievement to come in the top five in the Commonwealth Games on my specialist pieces I couldn’t have asked for more than that.”
Cara added: “It feels amazing to have come ninth in the all-around and seventh in the vault. I couldn’t have done it any better. I am so happy with the whole experience.
“It feels good to have achieved more this time as Glasgow was my first Games, but that set me up nicely because I knew what to expect. I’m just really happy to have competed at another Games.”
Hamish was understandably disappointed to have missed out on a podium place but has taken confidence from his first major final, with another to come. He said:
“It was hard this morning to finish where I did. I knew my routine was easily good enough to medal and if I’d gone through it like I did yesterday it would have put me right up there. But it was today that counted and I didn’t perform my best routine but I’m very happy to have finished right up there in my first Commonwealth Games, in my first floor final at the age I am, and competing alongside Olympians Max and Nile, and it’s great to do so well. I’m happy with myself.”
The last day of gymnastics will feature Frank Baines in the parallel bars final at 6.23am (BST) before he joins Hamish in the horizonal bar final at 7.49am. Surely no-one can blame you if you’re late into work on a Monday morning…
Men’s Floor Final
Canada’s Scott Morgan set a good pace, scoring 13.833 which Kiwi Ethan Dick couldn’t match, coming in with 13.500.
Hamish was third up and after qualifying in third with 14.275 and scoring 14.600 the previous day in the all-around, he was confident of what he needed to do. He did not look quite as sharp though, perhaps a bit tired after two full days of competition A wee hop out of one of his easier tumbles on landing, but he continued to impress. The judges awarded an execution score of 7.833 towards his total of 13.633.
He was not the only one who looked a weary on the fourth day of the Games and Commonwealth all-around champion Nile Wilson had points deducted on two of his landings and only mustered 12.400.
Dan was up next and he looked strong and assured throughout. His execution score of 8.33 included a deduction of 0.10 for a fraction of a toe on the line for a 13.733 total which put him in second place with three competitors to come.
Jac Davies from Wales didn’t trouble him with 12.800, then it was Marios Georgiou who had won bronze in the all-around. He looked clean, with only really a rebound on his final landing marring his performance and he was awarded 13.966 to take the lead, moving Dan down to third and Hamish to fourth.
Max Whitlock was last up and we know what he can do. He went for 6.2 difficulty in qualifying which would give him an immediate advantage over Georgiou. This time it was 5.700, and with a step out costing him, he could not match his huge score from Thursday. His 13.333 saw him finish in sixth and Nile Wilson in eighth, with Georgiou winning gold and Morgan silver.
Dan Purvis was back on the podium with a well-deserved bronze and add to his Commonwealth Games success from Gold Coast and Glasgow.
Women’s Vault Final
We did not have long to wait until the women’s vault final and Shannon Archer was up first. No pressure, no glancing at the score board. Flips on, and a half twist off, a difficulty of 5.00. Her execution was awarded 8.800 for 13.800. Her second vault had a lesser value of 4.800, and she nailed it earning a deserved 13.566, and setting a good tone for the competition, with an average of 13.683.
The top qualifier Shallon Olsen followed her on to the apparatus and was already a point up on difficulty on her first vault which was executed equally well to Shannon’s first, although her second easier vault didn’t score as highly, but her 14.566 average put her ahead.
Her Canadian teammate and Commonwealth all-around champion Elsabeth Black followed with two punchy runs to earn 14.233 and move to second.
Then it was Cara’s turn. One and a half twists and a little hop to the side on landing, an efficient vault of 5.00 difficulty earning 13.833. A 4.800 difficulty for her second run, like Shannon, and again, she executed it well, but it only earned 13.300 for an average of 13.566 which had her sitting marginally behind her team mate in fourth at the half way point.
India’s Pranati Nayak had a foot out and a hand down in her first attempt, and fell in her second, so didn’t pose any threat with 11.983.
Australia’s Georgia Godwin, and all-around silver medallist and needed a perfect execution, given it was only a 4.800 difficulty. It was 13.700, less than the Scots’ first vault. Her second, easier attempt earned 13.600 for an average of 13.650 and she slid into fourth place.
Her team mate Emily Whitehead was next. Difficulty was 5.00, and it was near perfect to earn 14.166. Her second run was not quite so good, but an average score of 13.849 was enough for her to go third and Shannon dropped out of the podium places.
Holly Jones was last to go and a tremendous 14.100 was followed by the easiest vault of the day so she would need a perfect execution to be in the running. She didn’t quite do enough for a medal, but her 13.816 put her into fourth place, and our gymnasts finished in a commendable fifth and seventh.
Men’s Rings Final
Dan was last on the start list and we watched England Courtney Tulloch set a high target of 14.833. He was not challenged by the next gymnasts from New Zealand and India, but Nile Wilson was up and produced a 14.400 to lie in second place with half the field to go.
Following his floor silver earlier, Canadian Scott Morgan moved into third with 14.000. We then had floor champion Marios Georgiou, but a few mistakes and his 13.766 was not posing a podium threat. The second Canadian Rene Cournoyer then went one better with a 13.900 and the scene was set for Dan.
The Maltese, the crucifix and he was off into another good strong performance. He chose a routine of lesser difficulty than the gymnasts sitting in top three, of 5.400, and he scored 13.233 to finish in seventh place.