Redbridge Sports Centre - 24th & 25th May 2024
This weekend saw the annual London Open competition take place in Redbridge and once again our MAG Gymnasts did not disappoint! We had 11 of our boys competing across all 6 apparatus in multiple age groups. The U12’s kicked things off on Friday morning with a good showing from Mac Griffiths, Fionn Kelly and Declan Freeman. After the English Open earlier this year, these boys were looking to consolidate the new skills they had added and neaten up their routines. All 3 improved on their scores despite a few falls with Declan finishing 25th on a score of 59.05, Fionn finishing 18th with 61.4 and Mac leading the trio in 15th with 62.35. They all came away happy with their improvements and look to build on their experiences and continue to develop ready for next year's jump up to the U14 age group.
U12’s Mac Griffiths, Fionn Kelly & Dec Freeman U14 Caden O’Shea
Friday afternoon saw lone U14 Caden O’Shea battle through a difficult competition. He struggled with a few mistakes but showed a really mature attitude in how he handled his frustration and came away positive and motivated to improve. Caden scored 56.3 overall and finished 27th.
On Saturday the remaining Gymnasts took to the arena, with the U16 group of Ben Porter, Max Veo-Creek, Jay Coote and Rio Chandiram starting the day with a bang. Max and Rio had a good competition and scored 65.034 and 68.070 respectively, placing 11th and 8th. Jay Coote added some big new skills to his routines and managed a 5th place finish and a score of 70.102 as well as taking home a Silver apparatus medal for his 13.467 Vault. The standout performer was Ben Porter who, after struggling with a knee problem for most of the year so far, hit a score of 74.069 AA and took home the Gold medal. He also managed to pick up apparatus medals for Pommels (Silver), Rings (Silver), P-Bars (Bronze) and Horizontal Bar (Silver) along the way, adding to his ever growing collection.
U16’s Max Veo-Creek, Rio Chandiram, Ben U18’s Luke Everett & Oli Porter
Porter & Jay Coote
Following the U16’s, our two U18’s also had a good day. Luke Everett, having only been at the club since December last year, improved on his score from the British Championships and added two new skills to score a career best 65.469 and achieve a 13th place finish. His team-mate Oliver Porter overcame some small errors brilliantly to walk away with the Bronze medal and a score of 73.535. A very clean Rings routine also earned him a Silver apparatus medal. Our final competitor of the day was Joshua Porter in the Senior competition. Josh has been struggling recently to balance his training and his new work life but still managed to come away with a 70.035 and a 19th place finish.
Senior Gymnast Josh Porter