England win six medals – three gold – on final day of artistic gymnastics at Birmingham 2022

The final day of the artistic gymnastics competition started with a bang for the home nation courtesy of England’s new star, Jake Jarman.

In only his second major international competition, the 20-year-old claimed a fourth gold medal of Birmingham 2022, in the vault final on Tuesday (2 August). Jarman also won titles in the men's team, individual all-around and floor exercise.

Jarman emulates compatriot Claudia Fragapane who won four gold medals at Glasgow 2014 in exactly the same disciplines. Frags also won gold in the women’s team event at Birmingham 2022.

England's Joe Fraser bagged a third gold of the Games on the apparatus in which he was world champion in 2019 – the parallel bars, and compatriot Alice Kinsella returned from a tearful display in yesterday's apparatus finals to dance and tumble her way to floor gold.

The all-around champion, Georgia Godwin, was just pipped to the beam title by team-mate Kate McDonald, the Aussies hugging it out when McDonald's score came up.

Cyprus' Ilias Georgiou claimed Cyprus's first ever gold medal in artistic gymnastics on the spectacular high bar. His team-mate and coaches danced wildly when the score was revealed, which took him above Australia's, Tyson Bull. Georgiou's team-mate and namesake Marios Georgiou joined Ilias on the podium for a Cyprus celebration.

Vault final (men)

Jarman, performed the two most difficult vaults of the competition but not only that, he did them with style. Fans in the crowd applauded wildly as the 20-year-old returned the love with a wave. His biggest fan was watching from home though. 

“I actually spoke to my nan on the phone the other day. She was over the moon with how I’ve done. I’ve never heard her so excited. I was struggling to make out some of the words she was saying to be honest.”

Meanwhile, the crowd sang happy birthday to his team-mate Giarnni Regini-Moran, who turned 24 today, and takes home some silver bling from vault to celebrate.

James Bacueti, won bronze but opted not to don the Aussie-style cork hat his team-mate Clay Mason Stephens had been wearing between apparatus in previous days.

Vault results (men)

1 Jake Jarman, England 14.916
2 Giarnni Regini-Moran, England, 14.633
3 James Bacueti, Australia 14.283
4 Felix Dolci, Canada 13.899
5 Samuel Dick, New Zealand 13.783
6 Ewan McAteer, Northern Ireland, 13.750
7 Muhammad Sharul Aimy, Malaysia 13.699
8 Emil Barber, Wales, 13.033

Balance beam (women)

Kate McDonald looked to her Aussie team-mate in shock – she had just pipped the two-time Birmingham 2022 gold medallist to the beam title. Georgia Godwin immediately wrapped her compatriot in a big celebratory hug; she had after all claimed a silver medal herself to add to her gold in the all-around competition, and on the vault. Both claimed silver in the team competition.

"I'm absolutely speechless. I can't speak right now. I am in absolute shock," said McDonald. "There were some really tough opponents out there today. I went out expecting to have a good routine, and have some fun with it.

"I definitely was not expecting a score like that. I was in complete shock. It's a brilliant belated birthday present as it was my birthday yesterday."

Canada’s Emma Spence was thrilled to add a third bronze medal of these Games to her collection having also bagged bronze in the team competition and in the individual all-around. 

Defending champion Alice Kinsella returned to the apparatus that proved her undoing in the individual all-around final and completed a routine that had a couple of wobbles but there was no way she was going to fall this time. The Olympic bronze medallist and team gold medallist at Birmingham 2022 came in fourth. She would have another chance for gold in the floor exercise.

"Today I didn't fall off, but it wasn't my best routine I've done," said Kinsella, "but that made me push myself for the floor final."

Balance beam results

1 Kate McDonald, Australia 13.466
2 Georgia Godwin, Australia 13.433
3 Emma Spence, Canada 13.066
4 Alice Kinsella, England 12.933
5 Georgia-Mae Fenton, England 12.733
6 Jea Maracha, Wales, 12.666
7 Sofia Micallef, Wales 12.500
8 Shante Koti, South Africa 10.366

Parallel bars (men)

The appendix-less Joe Fraser returned to the Arena Birmingham to compete on the apparatus on which he won a world title in 2019 – the parallel bars.

Despite a foot injury and having had his appendix out six weeks ago, Fraser stepped up to claim the Commonwealth title with a beautifully executed routine that contained the huge difficulty expected of a world champion.

His countryman, and fellow gold-medal winner in the team competition, Giarnni Regini-Moran performed a similarly clean routine to win silver and Cyprus’ Marios Gerogiou bagged a third bronze medal to match the history-making third place won in the men’s team – the first time Cyprus have won a men’s team medal at a Commonwealth Games. Marios also had a third place in the overall competition.

Parallel bars results

1 Joe Fraser, England, 15.000
2 Giarnni Regini-Moran, England 14.733
3 Marios Georgiou, Cyprus 14.533
4 Felix Dolci, Canada 14.200
5 Mitchell Morgans, Australia 13.766
6 Ilias Georgiou, Cyprus 13.600
7 Brinn Bevan, Wales 13.400
8 Tyson Bull, Australia 13.133

Floor final (women)

In the last event of the day – and the Games – for the women, Alice Kinsella claimed individual gold on the showpiece event, the floor exercise.

Kinsella threw everything into her floor routine and looked relieved once finished, waving to the supportive crowd. A big hug from her coach and a score that wouldn't be beaten by the remaining gymnasts and Kinsella had the gold.

Team-mate Ondine Achampong had been in the lead until that point but won silver with a beautiful routine that showcased her background as a classical dancer, and which had fans clapping along to her performance.

Kudos to Australia's Emily Whitehead who kept plugging away despite a number of falls over the preceding days. Already with a silver medal to her name from the team competition, the individual reward finally came with a bronze in the floor final.

Floor results

1 Alice Kinsella, England 13.366
2 Ondine Achampong, England 13.033
3 Emily Whitehead, Australia13.000
4 Emma Spence, Canada, 12.966
5 Cassie Lee, Canada, 12.900
6 Poppy-Grace Stickler, Wales12.566
7 Naveen Daries, South Africa 12.200
8 Romi Brown, Australia 11.766

High bar

Ecstatic scenes greeted the last competitor on the high bar as Cyprus' Ilias Georgiou claimed history-making gold, the first gold for the nation in Commonwealth Games artistic gymnastics. 'Super' Marios Georgiou leaped up and down with his compatriot in a group hug with the coaches in emotional scenes at Arena Birmingham. Marios himself had won bronze, his fourth bronze of the meet.

Birmingham local Joe Fraser put on a show for his home crowd with superb height on his release moves. Sadly for him, one was too sky high and Fraser missed the bar, falling to the mat. He wasn’t going to finish his home Commonwealth Games there, however, getting back up on the bar, and throwing some more spectacular moves before a a firecracker of a dismount and his Games was done.

Speaking after the event Fraser said: “We’ve got a lion on our leotard and a lion on our chest. I am filled with pride.

“I reached four finals and achieved three golds. I need to be happy and proud of myself for that.”

High bar results (men)

1 Ilias Georgiou, Cyprus 14.466
2 Tyson Bull, Australia 14.233
3 Marios Georgiou, Cyprus 14.133
4 Mitchell Morgans, Australia 14.100
5 James Hall, England 13.900
6 Hamish Carter, Scotland 12.433
7 Joe Fraser, England 12.266
8 Frank Baines, Scotland 11.900

Overall artistic gymnastics table at Commonwealth Games 2022

1 England – 10 gold, five silver, one bronze
2 Australia – 3 gold, 4 silver, two bronze
3 Cyprus – 1 gold, 1 silver, 4 bronze
4 Canada – 3 silver, 5 bronze
5 Northern Ireland – 1 silver
6= Scotland – 1 bronze
6= South Africa – 1 bronze

How to watch 2022 Commonwealth Games

UK: BBC TV, Radio, iPlayer

Canada: CBC Sports, CBC Sports app

Australia: Channel 7, 7Plus

New Zealand: Sky, TVNZ

India: Sony LIV

Further streaming details can be found on the Commonwealth Games website here.

You can follow all the action via our live update blog article on Olympics.com.