Sport
15 June, 2026
Nationals milestone
THE Mareeba Gymnastics club will have two athletes competing at the Australian Gymnastics Championships.
Finnlay Ford (17) and Myles Dobbs Brown (19) will both be competing at the national competition in Sydney early next month, which is the first time the club has had more than one athlete qualify.
Club director Kelly Tulloch said she and the rest of the club were “very thrilled” with their gymnasts’ achievements.
“Both the boys competed really well at State Championships and to have two of them selected to go down this year has just been amazing,” she said.
“I can’t even put words to how proud I am as a coach. These guys do work really hard and it’s really nice to be recognised on a national stage for that.”
For Finn, a Level 7 gymnast, and Myles, a Level 8, it will be their very first time competing on a national stage and they couldn’t be happier.
“It felt really good,” Myles said. “I have been to States so many times and you just don’t really get anywhere a lot of the time, so to finally get somewhere, it’s really quite amazing.”
“It felt great just to see myself being able to be up there with athletes from other clubs who train way more hours than us, and I’ve myself, my teammates, and my coach to thank for that” Finn said.
The national championship event will be held at the Sydney Olympic Park from 28 June-20 July, with Myles competing on 1 and 3 July, and Finn on 2 and 4 July.
THE Mareeba club had 13 gymnasts contest last month’s State Championships, with standout results as follows:
Eli Quirk (Level 3) – 4th on vault
Drummond Eugster-Ward and Leon Beguely (Level 5) – Tied for 6th on high bar. Drummond also placed 6th on rings, 4th on vault, and 6th on parallel bars.
Jessica Quintieri (Level 7) – 3rd on vault
Addyson Hampton (Level 8) – 6th on beam
Connor Bertuna (6 Optional) – 2nd on floor and 3rd on high bar
Myles (Level 8) – 5th on parallel bars and 6th on high bar
Finnlay (Level 7) – 3rd on rings, 2nd on vault, 4th on high bar, and 6th overall
