National trial highlights gymnastics strides – JGA president
Published:Wednesday | February 15, 2023 | 12:42 AMOrane Buchanan/Staff Reporter
WITH THE Supreme Ventures Gymnastics Classics and National Trials done and dusted, a committee is now pouring over the results to come up with the persons who will represent the country at the World Junior and Pan American Championships, the former set for next month.
President of the Jamaica Gymnastics Association, Nicole Grant, is more than satisfied with what she saw over the weekend at the Jamaica School of Gymnastics in Kingston.
According to Grant, the scores from the junior athletes were more than good enough for them to rub shoulders with some of the best athletes, set to participate at the World Juniors, scheduled for March 25-April 3 in Antalya, Turkey. Jamaica will be sending one person to the World Junior Championships.
“The weekend was very exciting and I’m very pleased with the outcome. The athletes really came out and despite the nervousness, they put on their best show and really competed well. The athletes that we had for the junior team eventually turned out to be a very, very tight race, and we’re just waiting to hear who that one person will be. The scores that we got for both the seniors and juniors are scores that are very comparable to some of the other countries who will be competing at the World Junior Championships,” said Grant.
Among the juniors, America-born Isabelle David ended with an overall score of 47.80 after amassing 10.80 on the even bars, 12.20 on the beam, 13.30 on the vault, and 11.60 on the floor. She finished ahead of Kennedy Walsh, who amassed 45.90 ,and Emelia Sharpe, who managed 37.30.
With the World Junior Championships fast approaching, Grant was cautiously optimist about the country’s prospects.
“With gymnastics you can’t say, because anything can happen on the day. If our gymnasts go out there, put on their best, without the nerves and not falling, they can be in the final, and that is very much possible. But we can’t say for sure, we just have to hope,” Grant added.
Aware of the fact that other participating countries are always in the process of evolving, Grant believes the Jamaicans are developing in such a way to still make them competitive.
“Improvement is an ongoing thing and every country should improve as they go along. Remember, most of our elite junior and senior athletes are already competing and are at the top of their game. For our local athletes, they are doing the best they can, and I think that we are actually getting there. We are developing very, very well and are stacking up against our Pan American region,” she believes.
On Saturday, when the seniors competed, Britain-born Tyesha Mattis impressed, dominating all specialties to come away with the title.
Mattis, all being well, should be representing the country at the Pan American Championships later this year, where she will seek to qualify for the Pan Am Games.
Mattis had scores of 12.40 on the even bars, 12.60 on the beam, 12.20 for her vault, and 11.50 on the floor, for an overall score of 48.70.