The junior women's team has completed the qualfiaction stages at the 2010 European Championships placing in 20th position.

The young team, consisiting of India McPeak (14), Nicole Mawhinney (14) and Emma Lunn (13) scored a total of 134.425 and placed 73rd, 76th and 80th respectively.

The girls started the qualifiers on Beam. Nicole, from Salto gymanstics club, was up first to compete. She went clean on all her elements and dismounted with a Gainer pike to score 11.950.

Emma, from Excel gymnastics club, competed next. The young gymnast produced a tidy routine including a free cartwheel, double spin and side sommersault. She dismounted with a full twist  and scored 11.700.


Emma Lunn

India, from Salto, was the final Irish competitor on beam. She experienced an unfortunate fall on her handstand to flip layout, but her otherwise clean routine earned her 11.100.

India said: "Today went well, but it could have went better. My beam was disappointing, but overall I think I did well."

The girls moved to Floor  for the second rotation, were Emma was up first to compete.  

She went clean on her double tuck, full twist and double twist tumbles and was awarded 11.725 by the judges.

India competed next. She opened with a solid two and a half twist, followed by a full twist and a double twist somersault, to score 11.475.


India McPeak

Up next was Nicole.

The 14-year-old was given the all clear to compete by the hospital yesterday after sustaining an ankle injury during podium training.

She entered her first tumble, a double pike, with too much power and fell out of the floor area on her landing, resulting in a 1.3 deduction, but the rest of her routine went clean and she scored 10.625.

Nicole said her ankle wasn't too sore on beam and bars, but was playing up, making running difficult on vault and floor.

The girls moved to Vault were they all competed a pike Tsukahara. Emma scored 11.750, Nicole had a slight stumble on her landing and scored 11.650 and India also had a slight stumble on landing and scored 11.750.


Nicole Mawhinney

The girls moved to Bars for the final rotation.

Coach, Deirdre Farren, said: "I have to congratulate the girls on bars. It was the first time India and Nicole caught all their releases and the first time Emma competed a forward giant."  

Nicole competed first, successfully catching her Geinger release on highbar and Pak salto transition to the low bar, landing a solid double pike dismount to score 10.550.

India competed next and also went clean, catching her straddle Tkachev and hitting her shoot to handstand on the low bar, she dismounted with a double twist and scored 10.775.

Finally Emma stepped up to the podium, to draw the Irish qualifiers to a close.
 
Emma went clean on her full pirouette and blind change to forward giant, she dismounted with a double tuck. A slight stumble on landing scored her 9.375.    

Coach, Deirdre Farren, said: "I'm very happy with their performance and execution. They put on a steady performance and their routines went clean."

She added: "Hopefully injury free they should go on to be a good team for the future."

Well done girls and congratulations on all your hard work and effort!