Kiwi buzz …
Commonwealth Games Artistic Teams named
Women’s artistic gymnastics – Holly Moon (Christchurch), Lani Hohepa (Christchurch), Jordan Rae (Counties-Manukau), Briana Mitchell (North Harbour).
Men’s artistic gymnastics – Misha Koudinov (North Harbour), Matthew Palmer (Christchurch), Patrick Peng (Auckland), Mark Holyoake (Auckland), Brandon Field (Auckland).
Congratulations and good luck.
New Zealand’s five-man artistic gymnast team is rated a chance of getting the country’s first medal in the teams event at the Commonwealth Games.
While not a traditional power, the New Zealand men have been close to team medals before, picking up fourth at Edmonton in 1978 and Auckland in 1990.
Mark Holyoake, 27, Patrick Peng, 21, and Misha Koudinov, 18, who all went to the 2006 Melbourne Games. Matt Palmer, 23, and Brandon Field, 18, are attending their first.
Most of them are based at the Tristar club in Auckland where they are coached by David Phillips, New Zealand’s only male artistic medallist at a Commonwealth Games. He picked up bronze in the floor exercise at Kuala Lumpur in 1998.
He says this team has every right to be ambitious: “We can win medals. It is the strongest team we’ve had since 1990. If you look at the statistics we’re sitting about fourth against other teams in the Commonwealth this year [Australia, England and Canada are rated stronger]. …
Gymnastics Coaching.com 