Competition wraps up at Asian Aerobic Championships
Competition at the 5th Asian Aerobic Gymnastics Championships was completed over the weekend, in humid conditions in bustling Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. The standard of the competition was something to behold.
The top athletes set the bar very high with the leading Individual Male scoring an amazing 22.100. Australia’s Kenji Fujihara was his usual dynamic self, performing a solid routine to finish in 13th position with a score of 18.40.
Our Female Trio of Chelsea Harris, Nicole Morley and Samantha Panos also faced strong competition, with the leading trio scoring a world class 21.900. The girls fought off the nerves of drawing first up on their section and finished with a score of 17.716.
Ten minutes before the start of the Senior Division Finals, it was announced that due to a withdrawal, the Trio was now to compete in the Final. They had just arrived at the venue, so a bus was quickly organised to rush the girls back to the hotel to collect their gear and prepare to compete! Fortunately they had about an hour back at the venue to complete a proper warmup. Their routine wowed the crowd and in particular the FIG Aerobic Gymnastics Technical Committee President and Vice-President, who both personally praised the girls for the choreography and artistry of their routine, which "added spice to the competition", and for their professionalism in being able to perform so well at such short notice. The Trio finished in 6th place in all of Asia, with a creditable score of 18.030.
Alll three days of competition were televised live, with the final day televised nationally, across the whole of Vietnam. Nicole and her parents were approached for an extensive interview for National Vietnam Television.
The FIG Senior Technical Committee members were extremely positive about the directions in which Australian Aerobic Gymnastics is heading, and are looking forward to seeing what our athletes bring to the World Championships in Korea next year. For many athletes, there will be only a very short Christmas break, as they are in full training, preparing for the World Championships and Suzuki World Cup selection trials to be held in the second last week of January in Queensland.
