The 2023 Artistic Gymnastics World Challenge Cup were held in Paris on Sunday night (AEST), resulting in some home-grown success in both the women’s and the men’s events.
Following the success of her previous wins in Tel Aviv and Osijek, Godwin was dominant again in Paris - achieving a silver medal for her impressive performance on the vault. In the men’s, Morgan also achieved a second place for his efforts on the parallel bars.
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Full Replay: FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Challenge Cup Series - Paris
Overall, strong performances were seen across the Australian team with 21-year-old Breanna Scott dominant in her qualifying and final routine on the balance beam.
Scott placed fourth on this apparatus, narrowly missing out on a bronze medal due to a 0.100-point difference in execution score from third place medallist Flavia Saravia from Brazil.
Clay Mason Stephens and Tyson Bull represented Australia in the men’s final for the floor exercise and horizontal bar, respectively.
Supported by a home-ground advantage, the French women’s team were strong performers, with Melanie de Jesus dos Santos achieving two golds for her floor and uneven bars routine.
In the men’s, the United Kingdom were successful across events, with a strong representation in all finals.
These performances signalled the closing gap in gaining qualification status for teams and individuals in the upcoming Olympics.
For 2018 Commonwealth Games medallist Godwin, her eyes are clearly focused on the fast-approaching cut-off for Olympic qualifying.
She displayed a dominant performance across all events on the weekend, including final qualifications in uneven bars and the balance beam but narrowly missing out on a qualifying spot for the finals of the floor exercise.
Australia’s gymnasts will be competing again in the Artistic Gymnastics World Championships in Antwerp, Belgium on September 30, and it will be one of the last opportunities for these athletes to solidify their place in the 2024 Paris Olympics.