Emotional Godwin makes history as Aussies win gold
Joanna Guelas |
Star gymnast Georgia Godwin has no more tears left to cry, having survived the “horrible, horrible” road back from injury to guide Australia to a team gold medal at the Commonwealth Games.
The 28-year-old burst into tears as she became the nation’s most decorated women’s gymnast at the Games, with Australia leading from the outset en route to a final score of 158.400 points at Glasgow International Arena on Sunday morning AEST.
Canada trailed by 1.100 points for silver, while 2022 Birmingham champions England (154.300) claimed bronze.
Godwin won her ninth Games medal to surpass Allana Slater in the record books, bringing her haul to three gold, four silver and two bronze medals ahead of the individual all-around and apparatus finals.
“Sorry Allana,” Godwin said with a fist bump.
The breakout star of the 2022 Games, Godwin hit the ground running in her emotional comeback from a traumatic Achilles injury she suffered just three months before the 2024 Olympics.
She had ruptured the tendon in her left foot doing a round-off flick double pike while training a floor routine.
Nailing her floor exercise in Glasgow, the 28-year-old cried tears of relief and scored 12.850 points.
“It’s been a horrible, horrible road back,” Godwin said.
“My support team have been absolutely amazing, but the mental challenges I’ve had to go through have been some of the – well, the hardest I’ve been through in my life.
“There were so many days where I’m like, ‘I can’t do this, I’m too old, I’m too sore. My Achilles would just never be the way it used to be’.
“But I want to finish this sport on my own terms.”
Asked what she told herself before she took to her first international floor routine since her injury, Godwin began to cry again.
“I’m going to have no tears left by the end of this – I can do it,” Godwin laughed.
“I did it for everyone that has helped me get back.”
Godwin will look to cement her legacy at the Games when she aims to defend her individual all-around and vault titles.
Already boasting three 2018 Gold Coast Games medals, Godwin had drawn level with Slater on eight medals in 2022 after winning uneven bars, balance beam and team all-around silvers.
Australia’s five-woman squad was unrelenting across the four apparatuses – vault, uneven bars, balance beam and floor – to win the nation’s first team gold medal since the 2010 Delhi Games.
Four of Australia’s gymnasts – Godwin, Kate McDonald, Emily Whitehead and Breanna Scott – were part of the 2022 silver medal-winning team, with 19-year-old Paris Olympian Ruby Pass making her Games debut.
It comes after Australia’s men ended their 16-year medal drought by claiming bronze on the opening day of the Games.
Australia enjoyed even contributions in the team’s final, with McDonald getting off to a flying start in her pet event by scoring 14.200 points on the uneven bars.
McDonald is the defending balance beam champion and is also out for redemption after falling short of the uneven bars podium in 2022.
Scott then took control and punched her ticket into the individual beam final by scoring 13.600 points, before McDonald received thunderous applause from the crowd for her electric floor routine (12.800 points).
Heading into the final rotation with a 2.500-point lead over Canada, Godwin nailed two superb vault attempts for a score of 13.350 points to help stave off their opponents.
AAP