Wales Gymnasts Holly Jones And Maisie Mathuen Strike Gold

Wales’ leading gymnasts warmed up in style for next month’s Commonwealth Games by picking up medals at the British Championships in Liverpool.

In the senior women’s apparatus finals, both Swansea’s Holly Jones and Cardiff’s Maisie Methuen struck gold to give themselves a huge boost prior to leaving for the Gold Coast.

Jones won the Vault with 13.825 points after performing two strong vaults to finish ahead of Olympic and World Championship medallist Amy Tinkler, who scored 13.800.

Methuen pipped English rival Alice Kinsella on Beam by the narrowest of margins in a tense final – 13.400 points to 13.350.

Methuen finished a creditable fourth on Floor, while there was also a bronze medal for another of the Clwb Cymru Caerdydd contingent, Emily Thomas, who took bronze on Uneven Bars.

The three medallists will be joined in the Team Wales gymnastics squad next month in Australia by Latalia Bevan and Jolie Ruckley.

In the overall standings, Tinkler took the British title and Thomas was the highest placed Welsh finisher in sixth place. Methuen was seventh, Bevan ninth and Ruckley 19^th.

In the men’s competition, Commonwealth Games-bound Ben Eyre was the top finisher with 10^th place overall. His Team Wales colleagues Josh Gallagher (23^rd), Iwan Mepham (29^th) and Clinton Purnell (39^th) finished further down the field.

Jac Davies and Josh Cook complete the Welsh line-up for the Gold Coast. Cook was fifth in the Under 18 overall title race and won bronze medals on Floor and Rings. He also won a bronze in the Men’s Masters event on Floor, finishing behind Max Whitlock and Gaius Thompson.

There was also an impressive silver medal for Swansea’s Ieuan Davies on Pommel Horse, where he came home second in the senior event behind reigning World, Olympic and Commonwealth champion Whitlock.

The Welsh gymnastics contingent for the Commonwealth Games is completed by a trio of Rhythmic Gymnasts – four-time British champoin Laura Halford, Gemma Frizelle and Abigail Hanford.