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 O’Brien (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 year’s World Championships.

Women’s Gymnastics at the Commonwealth Games

Format: 13 September Team Competition

14 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 Women’s 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. Allana’s favourite appartus is the floor. Her routines are choreographed by Irina Milogradova formerly of USSR, now living in USA. Allana’s 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 Champion’s best moment in gymnastics was being selected for this year’s 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 O’Neill 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 Katarina’s 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. Katarina’s 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.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
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NIK FREESTONE
STARSPORTS INTERNATIONAL
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