MEDIA RELEASE
NEW GENERATION OF WOMEN GYMNASTS
PREPARE FOR GOLD
Media Release
For immediate release
Wednesday, 19 August 1998
The top 7 Australian female gymnasts arrived at the Australian Institute of Sport on Sunday to prepare for the COMMONWEALTH GAMES. The last 2 will be cut from the squad following the final selection trial on August 26th.
Zeena McLaughlin, Allana Slater and Trudy McIntosh QUALIFIED for the Games at the trial held in Melbourne a fortnight ago.
The remaining 4 gymnasts will fight for the FINAL 2 PLACES. The non-travelling reserve will join Brooke OBrien (Victorian Institute of Sport) and Ann Maree Vallence (Western Australian Institute of Sport) at the CHINA CUP in Tianjin. This is the venue for 1999 World Championships.
Leaving our shores THIS SUNDAY are Alexandra Croak (Australian Institute of Sport) and Brooke Walker (Victorian Institute of Sport). They will compete at inaugural Pusan Invitational in preparation for next years World Championships.
Womens Gymnastics at the Commonwealth Games
Format:
13 September Team Competition14 September Individual All Around
16 September Individual Apparatus Finals
Medals Available: Team Gold Silver Bronze
Individual All Around Gold Silver Bronze
Floor Gold Silver Bronze
Beam Gold Silver Bronze
Bars Gold Silver Bronze
Vault Gold Silver Bronze
TOTAL 18
Countries to Beat: England & Canada At the Senior Pacific Alliance (Canada) held last month the team results were as follows:
1. USA 2. AUS 3. CHN 4. CAN 5. JPN 6. NZL 7. MEX
8. MAL 9. HKG
Zeena McLaughlin
Age:
17 [14 May 1981]Height: 160cm
Weight: 46kg
Club: Victorian Institute of Sport [Melbourne]
Coach/es: Fiona Bird, Mark Carlton & Shao Yi
Residence: Narre Warren, Victoria
School: Mentone Girls Secondary College [Year 12]
National Ranking: 1
Commonwealth Games Trial All Around Placing: 1
The number one Australian Womens gymnast is the one to watch in Kuala Lumpur.
Last month Zeena took Silver in the All Around Competition at the Senior Pacific Alliance
(Canada) ahead of gymnasts competing again at the Commonwealth Games. Zeena will compete
with her parents and 2 brothers in support at the Games. She hopes to win Gold in the team
All Around competition and personally place in the top 3.
Allana Slater
Age:
14 [3 April 1984]Height: 142cm
Weight: 33kg
Club: Western Australian Institute of Sport [Perth]
Coach/es: Nikolai Lapchine & Joanne Richards
Residence: Mount Claremont, Western Australia
School: Methodist Ladies College [Year 9]
National Ranking: 6 [Junior]
Commonwealth Games Trial All Around Placing: 2
Allana has enjoyed a rapid rise to prominence in the last 3 months. Her best result was Gold in the All Around final at the 1998 Fox Sports Challenge (Canberra) in June. She went on to compete at the World Youth Games (Moscow) in July placing 10th in the All Around final. Allanas favourite appartus is the floor. Her routines are choreographed by Irina Milogradova formerly of USSR, now living in USA. Allanas mother Barbara will be in Kuala Lumpur with her as she takes another step towards fufilling her dream of competing at Sydney 2000 and beyond.
Trudy McIntosh
Age:
14 [30 July 1984]Height: 139cm
Weight: 35kg
Club: Victorian Institute of Sport [Melbourne]
Coach/es: Mark Carlton & Shao Yi
Residence: Geelong, Melbourne [Lives in Melbourne Monday to Friday]
School: Mentone Girls Secondary College [Year 8]
National Ranking: 1 [Junior]
Commonwealth Games Trial All Around Placing: 3
The 1998 Junior National Champions best moment in gymnastics was being selected for this years Commonwealth Games. Last month at the World Youth Games Trudy finished 4th in all All Around competition. The strain of living in Melbourne during the week and travelling home to Geelong on weekends should pay off in Kuala Lumpur if Trudy can maintain her form from the trials earlier this month best score 9.887 on vault.
Lisa Skinner
Age:
17 [17 February 1981]Height: 153cm
Weight: 40kg
Club: Queensland High Performance Centre [Brisbane]
Coach/es: Vladimir Zakharov
Residence: Clear Mountain, Queensland
School: Holland Park [Year 11 Distance Education]
National Ranking: Did not compete at 1998 Nationals due to injury
Commonwealth Games Trial All Around Placing: 4
Lisa is the elder statesman of the group having attended 2 World Championships and the 1996 Olympic Games. Lisa should join her fiercest Australian rival Zeena McLaughlin in Kuala Lumpur if she can repeat her score of 9.8 on the bars from the Commonwealth Games trials held earlier this month. Lisa will not be without her rag doll Bessy at the Games.
Melinda Cleland
Age:
13 [15 October 1984]Height: 153cm
Weight: 46.5kg
Club: Victorian Institute of Sport [Melbourne]
Coach/es: Fiona Bird, Mark Carlton & Shao Yi
Residence: Cheltenham, Victoria
School: Mentone Girls Secondary College [Year 8]
National Ranking: 3 [Junior]
Commonwealth Games Trial All Around Placing: 5
Melinda began her gymnastics career at the Gold Coast Gymnastics Club when she was 7. Last month at the Senior Pacific Alliance (Canada) Melinda placed 6th All Around and won silver on beam. If Melinda can simulate the results of her favourite sportsperson Susie ONeill she can expect to be a good medal chance.
Katarina Frketic
Age:
15 [27 January 1983]Height: 146.7cm
Weight: 34kg
Club: Australian Institute of Sport [Canberra]
Coach/es: Qing Hua Yang & Xiao Li Tang
Residence: Ngunnawal, Canberra
School: Canberra High School [Year 10 Special Program for AIS students]
National Ranking: 5 [Junior]
Commonwealth Games Trial All Around Placing: 6
20 years ago Katarinas parents took residence in Sydney after enjoying a holiday from Croatia. Her gymnastics career brought them to Canberra where they currently reside. The 1996 AIS Junior Gymnast of the Year placed 4th at the Fox Sports Challenge (Canberra) in June competed at the World Youth Games (Moscow) last month. Katarinas mental toughness and athletic physique stand out amongst the crowd.
Rebecca Wilson
Age:
17 [8 April 1981]Height: 163cm
Weight: 46.5kg
Club: Queensland High Performance Centre [Brisbane]
Coach/es: Vladimir Zakharov
Residence: Carindale, Queensland
School: Holland Park [Year 11 Distance Education]
National Ranking: 2
Commonwealth Games Trial All Around Placing: Did not compete due to injury
Rebecca was granted special dispensation to attend the final selection trial after fracturing a bone in her foot at the Fox Sports Challenge in June. Driven by the chance of competing at the Commonwealth Games she remarkably re-commenced training in the 1st week of August. The best piece of advice given to Rebecca was to have a dream and go for it. Selection in the team will be a testament to this advice.
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