Alice Kinsella and England hold nerve to win Commonwealth Gold
Hometown hero Alice Kinsella held her nerve as England edged out Australia to win Commonwealth gold in a nail-biting team gymnastics competition.
The home side were pushed all the way by their determined opponents before eventually prevailing in front of a raucous crowd at Birmingham’s Utilita Arena.
Kinsella’s contribution was critical and the 21-year-old from Sutton Coldfield, who trains with Telford’s Park Wrekin Club, also qualified for Sunday afternoon’s all-around final with her overall score of 54.450 the best of the day. She will also appear in the individual finals on the balance beam and floor early next week.
The 21-year-old, together with team-mates Kelly Simm, Georgia-Mae Fenton, Claudia Fragapane and Ondine Achampong, repeated the feat of the men’s team 24 hours earlier by winning gold.
But whereas the men cruised home, this was a far closer affair, the result in doubt before Kinsella and Achampong nailed superb vaults to see the hosts home.
Kinsella’s score of 13.650 on the uneven bars was more than solid, with Achampong and Fenton registering even better marks to get England off to a strong start.
When Kinsella then recorded the best score of the day on the balance beam, the apparatus on which she is the reigning Commonwealth champion, with Fenton and 18-year-old Achampong just behind, the hosts led Australia by just over half a point at the halfway stage.
At that point an interesting sub-plot was threatening to emerge, Kinsella, Fenton and Achampong separated by fractions in the individual standings, only two gymnasts from each nation able to qualify for the all-around final.
Kinsella settled any nerves on that score by recording the best score of the day on the floor, throwing her head back – perhaps in relief – at the end of a routine marked 13.450 by the judges.
But the bigger issue now was whether England could keep their noses in front of Australia. When Georgia Godwin knocked Kinsella off the top of the balance beam standings with a score of 13.600, the hosts had seen their lead shrink to just 0.050 heading into the final rotation.
With the Australian’s faltering on the floor, Kinsella sent the crowd into rapture when she nailed a superb vault, scoring 13.900, a mark which equalled the best of the day before Achampong went even better with 14.150 to put the result beyond doubt.
Canada took the bronze, while there was an impressive fifth-placed finish for a Wales team, none of whom were aged over 16, including Kinsella's Park Wrekin team-mate Mia Evans.
