Team ACT dominates at the Bigham Cup

Team ACT has walked away from the inaugural Bigham Cup as champions across both Level 6 and Level 7 divisions, following a sensational weekend of gymnastics. 

Named after South Australian gymnastics legend Anne Bigham, the event saw athletes from the ACT, Western Australia, Tasmania and South Australia compete over the weekend in Darwin as part of the Northern Territory’s State Championships

Competition started on Friday with the Team division for Level 6 gymnasts, where the ACT triumphed with a combined score of 108.525. This was then followed by a victory for the Level 7 gymnasts as well, with a score of 114.081. 

Saturday’s competition commenced with the Level 6 Individual apparatus which saw Emerson Mann-Rea securing a trio of medals, including Gold on Vault and Floor, along with a Bronze on Balance Beam. 

Rounding out the ACT medals was Erin Howard, scoring Silver on Uneven Bars. The pair of Mann-Rea and Howard both made it onto the podium in the Individual All-Around final, finishing second and third respectively behind Tasmanian Keira Harding. 

The Level 7 gymnasts were led by Kirra Belnap whose dominant performance on the day secured her three Gold medals, on Uneven Bars, Balance Beam and Individual All-Around.

Belnap was not the only medallist for the ACT in the division, with teammates Addison Fordham and Asha Edmunds securing Gold and Silver respectively on Vault. Laura Houlihan and Belnap also appeared on the dais for Floor, winning a Silver and Bronze medal. 

Gymnastics ACT CEO Sam Brittlebank was full of praise for the gymnasts, saying “It’s amazing to see the gymnasts from different clubs across the ACT come together and work as one to achieve such an amazing result, I’m so proud of the athletes and coaches. A thank you as well to the parents for their support in getting the team to Darwin.”

ACT Clubs are now preparing to compete at the National Clubs Carnival on the Gold Coast, starting September 15.