THE Isle of Man's men's gymnastics team exceeded their pre-games target at the Commonwealth Games yesterday.
When Joe Smith was forced to withdraw early last week the Isle of Man Team knew they would have a tough task with the three remaining gymnasts under real pressure to perform.
Yesterday, against teams of five, Alex Hedges, Adam Hedges and Mukunda Measuria were in action.
The team event also selects the finalists in each separate apparatus individual final and for the individual all-around event.
Having made the individual all-around final as a reserve in Melbourne, Alex was determined to get through again in this, his final Commonwealth Games before he retires from the sport.
The top 24 individuals in the team event qualify for the final and Alex was delighted to finish 21st.
He said: "I had a really solid day – no mistakes and I’ve done what I needed to do. Now it's back in the gym to prepare for the final on Wednesday."
Mukunda had a faultless day – everyone agreed he had really stepped up to the mark and he was rewarded with a reserve spot in the final alongside Alex.
If two of the 24 qualified gymnasts pull out then he will join Alex in the final on Wednesday.
He said: "I'm not really thinking about that. It's just a great relief to get today over.
"I felt the pressure on the first piece of apparatus but once you get going you start to relax.
"At one point I missed a move on the pommel and I was gymnastically ad-libbing from that point but I got through. I’ll find out tomorrow if I'm in the final."
Adam was enthusiastic about his biggest ever competition.
He said: "It was great to be part of such a close-knit team. We all shook hands with Joe at the start, and he told us to 'do it for the team'.
"I missed a couple of landings but didn't let it affect me. It is great to have achieved what we set out to as a team."
Although he was side-lined Joe kept his promise to be the loudest supporter in the gym.
He said: "It was tough to watch but I wanted to be here. I was really happy to see the boys excel on such a big stage."
Prior to travelling to Delhi the squad had worked out a points target of 210 - achievable if everyone performed to their best ability. On the day, with only three gymnasts, they managed 213.5.
Gymnastics manager Haresh Measuria said: "That's a really solid finish to a traumatic week.
"I'm really pleased to have beaten our target. Once we lost Joe we knew it was going to be very tough.
"The plan was to be 'clean and cautious', to maintain routines and to ensure dismounts were solid.
"To have attained 213.5 with the bare minimum team is a very satisfying result."
Olivia Curran, the first ever woman gymnast to be selected for the team, was injured in training in Delhi before the games began.
Joe left Delhi this morning (Tuesday) and Olivia will leave on Friday - this was due to medical advice and the need to start treatment at Noble's Hospital for their injuries.
