Emma Slevin has finished fifth in the balance beam finals at the Youth Olympic Games with a score of 11.800.
The Renmore Gymnastics Club 15-year-old surpassed all expectations to feature in four finals, and today was her final day of competition in Buenos Aires.
It wasn’t Slevin’s best result in the beam, after her personal best in qualifying, but it was enough to secure fifth on the night.
"It went okay, it definitely wasn’t my best routine, but it wasn’t my worst, and I’m really happy with the result. I’m absolutely wrecked," Slevin said after the long week of competition.
"I’m sure everyone else is the same. It’s just such a tiring way to do a competition. None of us have ever done this format before, but it wasn’t too bad. I got over it, and I got to the end, so I’m happy. I still can’t believe it now so it will sink in soon, and I can believe it then. I think it will be an amazing feeling, I’ll never forget this."
Resilient Slevin came through a long week of competition, including a foot injury suffered in the warm-up for the vault, and said that her message to aspiring gymnasts is: "If you are struggling, like me with my foot injury the last day, I got through it and I got to the end and I came fifth on beam - it just shows you should never give up and keep pushing."
Golfers Lauren Crowley Walsh and David Kitt finished up joint 13th in the Mixed Team event, with +6 in the Four-Ball Stroke Play, tied fifth in the Foursomes and a final tied 24th in the Cumulative Play.
Walsh said: "I guess today probably wasn’t our best day on the course, we didn’t get off to the fast start that we were looking for, but that’s how golf goes.
"We didn’t really hole on the greens, we really struggled and didn’t get many of the drops. Overall, we got off to a good start on the first few days, and it was today that let us down."
The Irish teenagers enjoyed the Hurlingham Club course, which posed a unique challenge.
"The grass firstly is really different, (we are) not used to it in Ireland," explained Kitt. "The first few days it took us a bit of time to adjust to it, because it’s so different.
"On the course the green is really small, at home they are small but not this small. If you are a fraction out you are really penalised, so you have to be really precise with your shots. Overall, it’s an enjoyable course, and it was nice to play it."
ATHLETICS Miranda Tcheutchoua has climbed one place on stage two of the Women's Hammer Throw 3kg to finish fourteenth with a score of 106.6 #TeamIreland ☘️🇮🇪 @irishathletics pic.twitter.com/KH7DmZba2T
— Team Ireland (@TeamIreland) October 15, 2018
In the Women’s Hammer Throw 3kg, Miranda Tcheuthchoua climbed one place to 14th after her second day of competition, with a score of 106.60.
Day 10 of the Youth Olympic Games will see boxers Dean Clancy and Dearbhla Rooney in action in the men’s and women’s flyweight semi-finals with Miriam Daly racing in the second stage of the women’s 400m hurdles.
