By Josh Squire
The Oceania Continental Championships for both Rhythmic and Artistic Gymnastics delivered strong results for Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games athletes Jesse Moore and Alexandra Kiroi-Bogatyreva.
Competing in Auckland, New Zealand, Birmingham 2022 Team Member and reigning Australian Men’s Artistic Gymnastics (MAG) All-Around champion Moore was one of four Australians and four Kiwis vying to secure a spot at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
Strong results on both pommel (14.466) and vault (14.333) were enough to nullify the judge’s deductions following falls on high bar, leaving Moore with a score of 80.332 which proved to be insurmountable despite the best efforts of his fellow Australians.
Fellow Birmingham Team Member Clay Mason Stephens (79.698) took home the silver medal while Heath Thorpe (79.564) rounded out a trio of Aussies that took to the podium.
The championships also saw Birmingham 2022 silver medallist Breanna Scott compete in the Women’s Artistic Gymnastics (WAG) event, which was won by Australian Emma Nedov.
No quota spots were available for the women as the girls pushed for selection in the team that is already headed to Paris in July, following their qualification through World Championships last October.
Days earlier in the Hungarian capital of Budapest, Birmingham 2022 gold medallist Alexandra “Sasha” Kiroi-Bogatyreva took out the Rhythmic Gymnastics Oceania Continental Championships All-Around competition.
Over two days, Kiroi-Bogatyreva showcased an array of skill, with scores of 30+ across the hoop, ball and clubs events to secure a winning score of 120.700.
Victorian Miyabi Akiya was her closest competitor, finishing second with a score of 116.950 while Isabella Wang (97.700) rounded out another all-Aussie podium.
Fellow Commonwealth Games Team Member and Birmingham 2022 silver medallist Lidiia Iakovleva was part of the Aspire Group which secured a spot for an Australian Rhythmic Group at the Paris Olympics.
The full Olympic gymnastics squad has not yet been named, with an announcement expected in the coming days.
11 athletes, including four Commonwealth Games alumni, competed at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, with an equally strong contingency preparing for the gymnastics events which will begin on the 27th of July.
