‘Big deal’
GJ boss lauds Gordon for Pan American gold medal
Published:Thursday | December 14, 2023 | 12:08 AMOrane Buchanan/Staff Reporter
PRESIDENT OF Gymnastics Jamaica, Nicole Grant-Brown, is hailing the exploits of local gymnasts Mariah Gordon following her gold-medal-winning performance at the recently concluded Pan American Hopes Artistic Gymnastics Tournament held on local soil at the National Indoor Sports Centre.
Grant-Brown explained that for Gordon to have taken the top prize in the bars category was a ‘big deal’, especially with the limited time the coaches had to prepare the group.
“The bars is a very difficult apparatus and that is where you could also lose a competition. It’s very difficult to judge, as it comes with a lot of technicalities, so for us to win in the bars was a big deal. After working with the kids for less than three years, at this level, made it a big deal,” she said.
Jamaica were reduced to five members – Mariah Gordon, Zuri Matandara-Clarke, Elyssa Alexander, Jesanique Scott and Sukhuri-Shay Smith – after Emelia Sharpe picked up an injury before the start of the tournament. Despite the setback and despite the obvious nerves, Grant-Brown was pleased with the team’s overall performance.
“It was very difficult for them as they were very nervous but they eventually got over some of the nerves after day one. They wanted to do better than they did the previous day, which they did, except that the other countries did better than they did the previous day also,” she remarked.
The five-day tournament, which came in for support from Mayberry Investments, showcased competitors from countries such as Argentina, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Panama, Puerto Rico, Venezuela and Trinidad and Tobago.
Upon reflection, Grant-Brown pointed to the international coaches’ greater experience as one factor that left the Jamaican contingent at a disadvantage.
With that in mind, Grant-Brown said the association plans to add a technical coach and a choreographer to assist the local coaches.
“If we had the expertise like the other countries had, we could have done way better. Most of the coaches that we went up against are involved in gymnastics for 15 to 30 years and we are like two to three years into this. So, with a little more experience, hopefully, we can perform better. We are hoping to secure a technical coach and a choreographer to help our coaches locally and I think that will help us in the future.”