Gymnast bends to NZ

By Marc McGowan
GYMNAST Caelan Bacon’s career-best fourth-placed showing at this year’s Men’s Australian Championships has booked him a trip to New Zealand.
The 13-year-old Narre Warren rising star will represent his country for the first time at the New Zealand National Gymsport Championships in Hamilton.
Bacon competes in the Level 7 Open category – just four rungs below the elite standard despite his tender age.
The Year 8 Casey Grammar student finished fourth in that category in the all-around competition at last month’s national championships.
Bacon also won the gold medal on his favourite apparatus, the floor, to cap a magnificent display.
The Olympic aspirant was competing against rivals up to 10 years his senior, but was confident of a strong performance – especially on the floor.
“It was pretty good. I had a feeling that I was going to win floor because I had very high scores on that apparatus,” he said. “I’m going to see if I can get to Level 8 this year and I’m hoping in about three or four years (that I’ll be competitive at national elite level).
“You just have to get better, keep sticking with it and try harder. I’ve got a lot better in the last two years.”
Bacon, a three-time Victorian all-around champion, started the sport as a two-year-old at Endeavour Hills Leisure Centre before progressing to the Gymnastics High Performance Centre (HPC) five years later.
He switched to BTYC Gymnastics in Doncaster after two years at the HPC to train with friends and still be involved in a professional environment.
Bacon’s mother Marie is immensely proud of her son’s achievements.
“There are a lot of hours driving him around, so you want it to pay off in some way – he’s done well,” she said.
“I took him when he was a little two-year-old boy and he never stopped. It’s the one sport he just took to because he’s very shy and it’s given him so much confidence.”
The New Zealand National Gymsport Championships runs from 27 September to 2 October and Bacon has high hopes.
“I really want to win this New Zealand competition – that would be great,” he said.