Scotland Gymnasts’ Best Ever Overseas Games
Scotland’s artistic gymnasts have returned home from what has been their – and Team Scotland’s – most successful overseas Commonwealth Games.
The team of five men and five women won three bronze medals at Gold Coast 2018 and qualified for eight apparatus finals with four gymnasts contesting the all-around titles.
On the first of five competition days, the men won team bronze which was followed by individual honours from Dan Purvis on the floor and Frank Baines on parallel bars.
> How the men’s team won bronze
> What they said
Frank and Hamish Carter both qualified for the men’s all around final, with Dan only denied as each nation was restricted to fielding two gymnasts. Frank came agonisingly close to the podium, finishing fourth with Hamish in sixth.
The women’s team matched their best ever finish in fifth, with Cara Kennedy and Shannon Archer both qualifying for the all-around final, with Isabella Tolometti again denied joining them due to the two-gymnast rule.
> Women’s team event story
> What they said
The City of Glasgow gymnasts finished ninth and tenth respectively: Scotland has never had two female gymnasts finish as highly in the same year.
Both qualified for the vault final, with Shannon finishing fifth and Cara seventh. In the men’s event, Scotland came so close to adding to the medals, with Frank fourth on the high bar, and Hamish finishing in the same frustrating fourth place in the floor. Dan was seventh in the rings final, Hamish eighth on the high bar.
> Apparatus finals day one
> Apparatus finals day two
Scottish Gymnastics’ performance manager, Jamie Bowie, was there throughout the Games in his role as team manager. He said:
“With Gold Coast 2018 having now come to a close, I don’t just see medals round necks, I see 10 gymnasts with big smiles having delivered the performance of their life, making finals and winning medals on the international stage.
“The team really shone on that Commonwealth stage, showcasing the very best of Scottish talent.
Our preparation for the Gold Coast Games was centred on building a strong team and a positive environment for performance to flourish, thanks to the relentless efforts of the coaches and support staff – Sandra Stevenson, Marius Gherman, Paul Hall and Luke Smith – out in Australia.“Of course, Commonwealth Games is just one snapshot moment of that journey and the personal coaches, national performance programme support staff, parents and clubs have all contributed to that success in the months and years before Gold Coast.”
Euan Lowe, chief executive officer of Scottish Gymnastics, continued:
“The Commonwealth Games are always so special. Gold Coast 2018 was a return to this event for some, but for the majority of our team, it was new, big stage and quite different to what they had experienced before. There was an outstanding atmosphere for them to compete in throughout the five days in the packed Coomera Indoor Sports Centre.
“Each member of our gymnastics team played their part with great performances every time they took to the floor, and they should be proud of what they did and Scotland should be proud…we certainly are.
“On behalf of Scottish Gymnastics, thank you to the supporters for making the journey out to Australia, the technical officials, the coaches and support staff, but most of all, thanks to the gymnasts for inspiring the next generation.”
Head of performance, Sam Hendrikson, summed up the whole campaign. She said:
“It is down to the hard work of the gymnasts, personal coaches, clubs and performance support from Scottish Gymnastics and our partners which has made this a truly successful Games for Team Scotland’s artistic gymnasts in the Gold Coast.
“Glasgow 2014 was always going to be a benchmark for the gymnasts travelling to Australia, however the meticulous planning and preparation over the last 18 months has certainly paid off in terms of results for our men’s and women’s artistic teams.
“The men’s team showed grit and determination to hold off Australia for the bronze medal, behind England and Canada, with all four gymnasts contributing to the team’s result following Kelvin’s injury. In the women’s competition, this home-grown team of gymnasts produced some well-executed routines to match their best-ever team result at a Commonwealth Games.
“In addition, for all of Scotland’s gymnasts making the Top 10 in the all-around final is huge credit to the hard work and effort these gymnasts have put in to be on form for these Games. The additional medals from Dan and Frank really made these Games extra special.
“These gymnasts have not only done Scotland and Scottish Gymnastics proud, but they have inspired a generation of gymnasts across the country leading into the next cycle and beyond.”