Bahrain raises the bar again

It has often been argued that the sport of gymnastics produces the best all-round athletes, developing abilities ranging from core strength and flexibility through to co-ordination and control, attributes that are a benefit in the development of other skills.

Bahrain was therefore privileged last weekend to host the Manama Challenge Cup, the first time that a female competition has been hosted for artistic gymnastics involving four different pieces of apparatus.

Hosted by the Children’s Health Academy of Specialised Sport (CHAOSS), the event was part of an ever-expanding calendar organised by the Middle East Gymnastics Association (MEGA).

Various events are held throughout the Gulf geared towards developing competition skills that can be showcased at the season-ending finale, the Gulf Annual Cup, held in Dubai just before the summer.

MEGA was founded in 2014 and was established by six founder gymnastics clubs with the aim of pushing development and creating additional opportunities within a sport witnessing growing demand regionally.

The association now boasts an additional 11 affiliate members spanning the Gulf and Jordan, all committed to enhancing standards of performance for the participants, coaches and judges under the framework of the US Gymnastics compulsories programme.

While the Manama Challenge was hosted by CHAOSS, it was essentially a collaborative event with Gymfinity from the British School of Bahrain (BSB) providing strong support and it was, therefore, pleasing to see both Bahrain-based clubs featuring strongly on the podium.

Joined by two teams from Dubai plus one from both Oman and Qatar this competition was aimed at Level 2 and Level 3 gymnasts with participants divided into categories based upon their age, ability and the number of pieces of apparatus on which they performed.

The home gymnasts had an additional spring in their steps thanks to a new sprung floor and an air track that had been imported in time for this competition.

It was the Level 2 gymnasts competing on the floor, beam and vault that started the proceedings and it was the stars from Gymfinity that quickly launched themselves above and beyond to claim a haul of medals … and, yes, ‘To Gymfinity and Beyond’ was a popular catchphrase!

Shining brightest was Charlotte Rodney, competing in the Level 2, 11 and above, category, securing the highest overall score in the three-piece competition of 27.9, thanks largely to a near-flawless 9.9 on the vault.

She was closely followed by Elle Harris who scored 27.75 overall to secure the overall gold medal in the Level 2, aged 8 and under category.

Not to be outdone, Emily Zachlod (Level 3 for eight and nine-year-olds) and Maria Salah (Level 3 for those aged 10) claimed overall gold medals for CHAOSS.

Special mention should also be reserved for Kathleen Holland of Gymfinity who, competing at Level 2 for girls aged 11 and over, secured the highest score of the day on the floor in the three-piece competition with an elegant 9.1.

At the end of this session Gymfinity led the way with 10 gold medals (including two overall) to go with three silver (one overall) and eight bronze (one overall), a remarkable achievement given the gym’s recent entry into MEGA. This BSB-based gym will be looking to build on its success by entering the four-piece competition following the recent acquisition of bars.

After lunch it was the turn of the gymnasts competing in the extended four-piece competition with the bars being added to the event.

The standard of competition was extraordinarily high with Bruna Figueiredo from Dubai Olympic Gymnastics Club notching a remarkably perfect score of 10 on the vault on her way to an overall combined score of 37.45 competing in Level 3 for gymnasts aged 11 and over.

However, not far behind, despite the age difference, was Leanne Cockerill of CHAOSS who scored 37.1 overall to secure gold in her category to accompany two gold and two bronze medals she secured on the individual apparatus.

Leanne was joined by fellow CHAOSS gymnasts, Leena Makhdum (Level 3, 10-year-olds) and Adriana Lluch (Level 2, 9 years and above), the latter achieving the highest score of the day on the floor exercise of 9.5.

In a sport that judges competitors on control and precision, where one foot out of place or a bent knee can result in a deduction of half a point or more, such high scores are testimony to the quality of the coaches and determination of the gymnasts.

Cara Mattias, director of CHAOSS and main organiser of the competition, was delighted with the atmosphere generated yet refused to take credit, preferring to lavish praise on the team of volunteers assisting in various roles, including organisational, catering and medical requirements.

Mattias, a former national gymnast and current senior coach, was quick to credit Szilvi Szabadfi, a recent addition to her CHAOSS team, a member of the Hungarian national team for 10 years who competed at two World Championships and won a national title on the beam. Szabadfi, also an internationally-accredited judge, was responsible for the seamless flow of the event ensuring that chaos did not ensue!

In keeping with the developmental philosophy of MEGA, Mattias was also proud of the accolades directed towards Michaela Sandy, who gained her first competition experience as an apprentice judge. Sandy, herself a product of CHAOSS, worked closely alongside Louise Granger from the British School of Muscat, who described the protégé’s work as ‘impressive’, going on to state that she has an ‘amazing future if she chooses to’.

The CHAOSS club finished with 17 gold medals of which five were based on the overall competition, 15 silver (1 overall) and 22 bronze (4 overall), to bring the curtain down on what one Dubai coach described as ‘the most amazing competition I have ever been to’.

Bahrain raised the bar again!