Anna Harrington / AAP News
The Gold Coast silver has produced an outstanding all-around competition to win gold for Australia.
Star Australian gymnast Georgia Godwin has claimed gold in the women’s all-around final to snap England’s dominant run in the artistic gymnastics in Birmingham.
A brilliant beam performance, where Godwin put in a competition-high score of 13.750 as English stars Alice Kinsella and Ondine Achampong faltered, teed up the victory
Then the 24-year-old sealed gold with a strong routine on the floor to the tune of ‘Feeling Good’.
Godwin’s score of 53.550 sealed her first Commonwealth Games gold, an upgrade on her all-around silver on the Gold Coast, ahead of Achampong (53.000) and Canada’s Emma Spence (52.350)
Godwin was the third-highest qualifier after Kinsella and Achampong, who were coming off helping England claim team gold ahead of Australia.
The Australian was fifth after scoring 13.300 on the vault.
But an outstanding uneven bars routine with a perfect landing delivered a score of 13.550 and lifted the Australian into third, 0.700 off lea der Kinsella.
Then the competition opened up when leader Kinsella fell off the beam, failed to complete her routine and went over time.
The 21-year-old, who is also the defending beam champion, was distraught and slumped in a corner of Birmingham Arena after her score of 11.000 appeared.
Godwin capitalised, completing a brilliant routine by dismounting with a double somersault in the pike position to earn a score of 13.750 and leap to the top of the leaderboard, ahead of Canada’s Emma Spence.
Achampong then also fell off and recorded a score of 12.500, further opening the door for Godwin to triumph.
Godwin then sealed the deal with a score of 12.900 on the floor.
Fellow Australian Emily Whitehead finished 12th on 47.650.
Elsewhere up-and-coming gymnast Jesse Moore will have to prove his fitness for his remaining events at the Commonwealth Games after a shoulder injury forced him to withdraw from the men’s all-around final.
Mo ore had qualified fourth-highest for Sunday’s final a t Arena Birmingham but was forced to retire at the halfway mark, after the rings.
The 19-year-old is unlikely to compete in Monday’s rings final but could feature in the pommel horse and high bar deciders, on Monday and Tuesday respectively.
England’s Jake Jarman claimed gold with 83.450 points, maintaining the hosts’ perfect gymnastics record.
Countryman James Hall (82.900), who battled through a late ankle injury, and Cyprus’ Marios Georgiou (81.750) claimed the minor medals.
Australian Clay Mason Stephens finished 11th on 76.800 and will quickly turn his attention to Monday’s floor final, his last event in Birmingham.
Australia are still hunting for their first men’s artistic gymnastics medal in Birmingham after finishing fourth in Friday’s team event.
