Bahrain stars raise the bar during the Fourth Inter-GCC Gymnastics Competition - Dubai

Bahrain’s gymnasts made a triumphant return from the Fourth GCC Gymnastics competition held at the Dubai Olympic Gymnastics Club last June 4, 2010. 

The CHAOSS representatives raised the bar to new heights with a massive haul of 60 medals, including a stunning 22 Gold medals.  After a slow start the CHAOSS team vaulted past the other 4 participating clubs to take top regional honours.  

The competitors included 34 boys and 77 girls representing five clubs from around the region.  Bahrain took a contingent of 35 gymnasts aged between 6 and 18, some competing for the first time.  The CHAOSS squad was boosted by a number of members of the Bahrain National team who train regularly at CHAOSS.

Across the board the competition was fierce although, given the close scores, the gymnasts eschewed the highest sporting values.  Hiding determination behind beaming grins throughout the weekend the success of all athletes was widely applauded and cheered.

The Bahrain squad was supported by a number of coaches, judges and technical advisors, namely Cara Mattias (Manager), Debbie Payne, Simona Klatourova, Ricky Fuertes, Allen Russell, Nazeeh Hassan, Monia Lazrak, Lauren Coombes and Ina Akle.

The star performer was George Jackson who swept the floor with five gold medals, with Hasan Nazeeh close behind in the honours table with four gold and two silver medals.  Ensuring the girls were not to be outdone, Michaela Sandy took the top spot in her category by securing three gold medals, a silver and a bronze.

Jackson showed tremendous consistency across all disciplines scoring highest on the vault and parallel bars with a 9.70 each. He swept the floor with the competition on the floor routine with a winning margin of nearly a full point, helping towards a two point gap in the overall classification.  He saved his hardest work on the day for climbing to the top spot on the podium five times!  More story... here.