Australia's gymnasts shine at Commonwealth Games

Australia's gymnastics team capped off a strong Commonwealth Games campaign with a flurry of medals, including team bronze for the men and team gold for the women, as well as individual titles for Breanna Scott and Jesse Moore.

In the men's team final at Glasgow International Stadium, Australia clinched bronze with a combined score of 235.650 points, holding off a late challenge from hosts Scotland. Canada won gold with 241.400 points, while England took silver with 238.250 points, a gap of 3.150 points from the winners.

Jesse Moore, the only experienced Australian male gymnast on the team, led a squad that included debutants Ritam Malik, James Hardy, Ben Foster, and Tru Hagens. The bronze was Australia's first men's team medal since winning gold at the 2010 Delhi Games.

Moore acknowledged the tension of the moment, recalling Australia's near-miss four years ago in Birmingham, where they fell short of bronze by 0.650 points. "You always have that in the back of your mind," he said. "But we have got a job to do. The game's not over yet."

He praised the team's performance on pommel horse, which sealed the medal. "The way we finished on pommel is pretty extraordinary. It shows how well we've come over the past few years," Moore said.

Women's team gold and Godwin's emotional return

In the women's team final, Australia won gold, with Georgia Godwin playing a pivotal role in her return from an Achilles injury. Godwin, who tore her Achilles two and a half years ago, performed a stunning floor routine that earned her a 13.350 and helped secure Australia's top spot going into the final vault.

Godwin was visibly emotional after her routine, bursting into tears as she embraced her teammates. She described the road back as "horrible, horrible," but credited her support team for helping her through.

"There was a lot going through my head before that floor routine and the girls before me absolutely nailed their floors. I just really wanted to help the team and with all of that head noise and all of that pressure I just started feeling a bit overwhelmed," she said. "So before I started floor, I went to my plans and grounded myself and I was so happy for that to be my first floor routine back at a big international event."

Kate McDonald also contributed with the best uneven bars score of the day (14.200), while Breanna Scott performed strongly on beam and floor.

Individual apparatus titles

Breanna Scott added to Australia's tally with a gold medal on the balance beam, scoring 13.933 points. She beat Singapore's Amanda Yap (13.233) and Canada's Lia-Monica Fontaine (13.000). Scott, who had already contributed to the women's team gold and taken silver in the individual all-around, described the experience as "absolutely wild."

"It's definitely my favourite when it's going well," she said. "It's kind of crazy, to be honest. It definitely hasn't sunk in yet. The last three days have just been absolutely wild."

Jesse Moore followed with a gold on the parallel bars, scoring 14.000 points to edge out Cyprus's Marios Georgiou (13.800) and Canada's Felix Dolci (13.300). Moore, who had missed the podium on rings and pommel horse earlier in the Games, said the gold was a relief.

Key Claims

  • Australia won bronze in the men's team final with a combined score of 235.650 points, as reported by ABC Australia.
  • Canada won gold in the men's team final with 241.400 points, and England took silver with 238.250 points, as reported by ABC Australia.
  • Jesse Moore was the only experienced Australian gymnast on the men's team, with Ritam Malik, James Hardy, Ben Foster, and Tru Hagens making their debuts, as reported by ABC Australia.
  • Georgia Godwin returned from an Achilles injury to help Australia win the women's team gold, as reported by ABC Australia.
  • Breanna Scott won gold on the balance beam with a score of 13.933 points, as reported by ABC Australia.
  • Jesse Moore won gold on the parallel bars with a score of 14.000 points, as reported by ABC Australia.
  • Australia won a total of nine gymnastics medals, including four gold, as reported by ABC Australia.