Poppy-Grace Stickler And Ruby Evans Lead The Way For Wales At Welsh Open Championships

By Carl Field

The best women’s artistic gymnasts in Wales and Great Britain took centre stage in Cardiff at the weekend – with home favourites Poppy-Grace Stickler and Ruby Evans among the medals at the 2023 Welsh Open Artistic Championships.

Stickler bagged a brilliant bronze in the Senior Open all-around competition; she scored 51.700 across her four pieces.

World and European silver medallist Georgia-Mae Fenton, from South Essex, was victorious with a score of 55.100, ahead of fellow Great Britain star Ondine Achampong (55.050).

Evans, competing at this event as a senior for the very first time, was fourth in the Open all-around competition with 51.650 but would not be denied as she took gold on both vault and floor, sharing the latter with Achampong.

Stickler and Fenton Claim Joint Bronze at British Selection Trial Event for Artistic European Championships

Meanwhile on floor, Stickler took joint bronze along with Fenton.

This event also doubled up as a British senior women’s selection trial event for the Artistic European Championships to held in Antalya, Turkey, next month.

Also on show were Olympic team bronze medallist and former European individual floor champion Alice Kinsella, along with Jennifer Gadirova – another member of the successful Great Britain women’s team at recent major championships – and two-time Olympian Becky Downie.

Downie, a former Commonwealth and double European champion on uneven bars, took the Welsh Open title on that apparatus as she battles to try and force her way back into British contention.

Achampong won on beam.

Meanwhile, in the Welsh Senior Closed competition, Stickler won all-around, uneven bars and beam gold while Evans took vault and floor honours.

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