3 Gymnasts, 6 Finals & 1 Gold Medal – 2018 Mersin World Cup Wrap-up

8th July 2018: Sport HQ, Dublin: Andrew Smith, Adam Steele and Rhys McClenaghan made history this weekend for Gymnastics Ireland by qualifying for no fewer than 6 apparatus finals (top-8) at the 2018 World Challenge Cup in Mersin, Turkey.

After qualifying in 1^st place for Floor final with a superb 14.500, Andrew Smith was unlucky not to repeat that performance and finish on the medal podium placing 6^th with a score of 13.100.

Still relatively new to the international circuit Adam Steele had a busy weekend qualifying for no fewer than 4 finals. He was unlucky on Pommel-Horse placing 8^th with 2 unfortunate falls, however also hit 8^th place on Parallel-Bars with a solid 13.000. Adam’s top performances of the day came on Floor & High-Bar where he posted 13.700 & 12.900 respectively placing just outside the medals in 4^th place on each of these apparatus.

The highlight of the day was Rhys McClenaghan’s gold medal winning routine on Pommel-Horse hitting 14.150, all the more impressive considering Rhys had planned to rest Pommel at this event to prioritise preparations for upcoming European Championships in August.

Speaking of the results Ciaran Gallagher, CEO Gymnastics Ireland, said:

‘This is the best-ever performance by an Irish delegation at a FIG World Cup Event, 6 finals between 3 gymnasts and a gold medal gives us all so much to be proud of in Gymnastics Ireland. While it was a superb achievement for Adam and Andrew to qualify for finals their performances throughout both qualifications and the finals themselves demonstrates they are both capable of podium finishes on the World Cup Circuit. For Rhys another World Cup Pommel Champion title to his name and further evidence that he is one of the Worlds best on this apparatus. My congratulations to the gymnasts, their coaches Luke Carson, Sergey Sizhanov & William Banthorpe, our Judge Denis Donoghue and to our Performance & Technical Manager Sally Johnson. Roll on 2018 Europeans…’

Commenting from the arena in Turkey Sally Johnson, Gymnastics Ireland Performance & Technical Manager, said:

‘Fantastic result from Rhys securing gold for the second time in a World Cup. The Irish team has made history with all 3 gymnasts qualifying in 6 finals. Special congratulations to Adam making 4 finals and a personal best on floor. A great floor result for Andrew also who qualified in 1^st place for finals with a personal best of 14.500. Andrew Smith, Adam Steele and Rhys McClenaghan have all been selected for the European Championships in August and World Championships in October, so far this year they have all shown consistent performances and developed strengths.’

To view videos of the performances visit our social media channels on Twitter & Facebook @GymnasticsIRE