Great Britain’s women will take their place in tomorrow night’s team final at the 2023 Artistic World Championships in Antwerp.
The British team of Wales star Ruby Evans, Jessica Gadirova, Ondine Achampong, Alice Kinsella and Georgia-Mae Fenton posted a team total of 166.130 points on day one of women’s qualifying – the second best team score through qualification.
Simone Biles-inspired USA topped the standings after qualifying with a team score of 171.395. Biles also led the individual all-around qualifying standings, scoring 58.865 across her four pieces.
The brilliant Gadirova was third in individual all-around qualifying (56.766) and will also take her place in the women’s individual vault, beam and floor apparatus finals – defending her World title in the latter.
Fellow Briton Ondine Achampong joins her in the individual all-around final.
There will be live coverage of the women’s team final on the BBC from 7pm.
Ruby Evans is the first senior Welsh women’s artistic gymnast to compete at the Worlds for 17 years. The last to do so were Olivia Bryl – now a Welsh national coach – and Lynette Lisle, back in 2006.
Should Britain win a medal, Ruby would also make history as the first competing Welsh women’s artistic gymnast to win a senior World medal.
Team mate Poppy, also an integral part of the British senior women’s squad, got a deserved World medal, but as a reserve, in Liverpool last year after Britain, in winning silver, recorded the best-ever result by a British women’s artistic team at a World Championships. It also secured GBR an Olympic place for Paris 2024.
Poppy is once again reserve for these Worlds.
Read the British Gymnastics report