2014 City of Jesolo Cup

Australia's Anticipated Return to Competition

Australia's Anticipated Return to Competition

Mar 21, 2014 by Anne Phillips
Australia's Anticipated Return to Competition


The 2014 City of Jesolo Meet is slated for this weekend in Italy. While Team USA will be the standout favorites for the medals, you shouldn't overlook the large and highly anticipated team from Australia. 

There is much hype surrounding Australia's team this year after they pulled out of the 2013 World Championships due to funding and lack of competitive potential. National coach Peggy Liddick told us in Antwerp that they were, "using this chunk of time for skill development with the goal of bringing our difficulty scores up to a World Class level."

Jesolo will be our first look at Team Australia since this decision was made and it will be very interesting to see the progress the squad has made in the past year. Their main focus is Rio 2016 where they plan to contend for their first Olympic medal. Their highest Olympic finish as a team was 6th in 2008. In 2012, they finished a disappointing 10th place, failing to make the team finals. However, the nation has found success at the World Championships. Lauren Mitchell became Australia's first World Champion in 2010 when she claimed the floor title. Mitchell's coach Martine George spoke with us in Jesolo confirmed that Mitchell is ready to make her comeback next week in Doha. Watch her interview here. 

Liddick is sending a large team to Jesolo, led by veterans Georgia Rose Brown and Mary-Anne Monckton. They will use this as preparation for Pacific Rims, Commonwealth Games, and World Championships. 

Liddick told us she has especially high hopes for first year seniors Madelaine Leydin, Kiara Munteanu, and Alexandra Eade who will each make their senior debuts here in Jesolo. 

The full Australia team for Jesolo is as follows:
Seniors: Georgia Rose-Brown, Mary-Anne Monckton, Alexandre Eade, Georgia Goodwin, Madelaine Leydin, Kiara Munteanu
Juniors: Emily Whitehead, Yasmin Collier, Aya Meggs, Alysha Djuric, Darcy Norman

Gymnastike is providing unprecedented coverage of the City of Jesolo Cup. Gymnastike Gold is the only place you can watch training videos from Jesolo plus archived video of Saturday and Sunday's competitions. Click here to sign up for Gymnastike Gold and enjoy the exclusive footage from Jesolo. 

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