By Tyler Parker
Following a dominant 24 months of competition, and recent success at the Doha and Qatar Artistic Gymnastics World Cups, Ruby Pass has been announced as the Commonwealth Games Australia Emerging Athlete of the Month.
The Australian Junior International All-Around Champion for 2022 has transitioned seamlessly into senior competition, with Pass performing well across a range of events at the 2023 Artistic Gymnastics World Cups. Excelling in Floor (4th), Balance Beam (8th) and Uneven Bars (5th), Pass said she was “proud to represent Australia”.
“As Doha was my first Senior competition, I was really nervous, however, at Baku my nerves had settled a little bit. Considering these were my first World Cups, I was happy with my results, however there is room for improvement.”
Having had the opportunity to compete at World Cups as both a junior and senior, Pass has ambitions to continue competing at the highest level, with her “aim to achieve these by consistently training as hard as (she) can and staying focused on her goals.”
“This year the goal is to gain more experience at international competitions, hopefully get chosen to represent Australia at the World Championships and improve my routines in the lead up to the Commonwealth Games and Olympics.”
Inspired by Aliya Mustafina’s skill and determination, Pass has always been active, and it was only natural that she moved into gymnastics as a child. Committed to her journey, Pass has moved states to pursue her dream and has always had gymnastics front of mind.
“Mum decided to put me in gymnastics at my local club in Shellharbour when I was six years old. When I turned 10, I convinced my parents to move me to a better club in Sydney. This trip took at least three hours round to travel which we did six days a week. After training in Sydney for three years, I moved to Queensland to pursue my gymnastics journey further.”
Recognising her commitment to gymnastics, Pass was “excited and honoured to win the award (EAOTM)… and makes her want to work even harder to achieve her goals.”
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Commonwealth Games Australia (CGA) has a focus on supporting emerging talent and celebrating the next generation of Australian sport stars.
Over the course of 2023, an athlete will be recognised each month as the Commonwealth Games Australia emerging athlete of the month and will receive a $500 gift certificate as a contribution towards their training expenses.
Three finalists from the monthly winners will be invited to the 2024 Commonwealth Games Australia Presidents Function where one will be named the Commonwealth Games Australia Emerging Athlete of the Year.
The annual winner, selected by the Awards Sub Committee will receive a $5000 CGA scholarship toward their sporting career.
