Mitchell Ends Year with Gold on Beam

WAIS-AIS World gymnastics champion Lauren Mitchell has finished 2010 in the best possible fashion, taking gold on beam at the prestigious Toyota Cup in Japan.

In a high quality competition featuring four beam finalists from the world championships, the 19-year-old nailed her routine to score 15.200 to claim the gold medal edging out world championship all-around gold medallist Aliya Mustafina of Russia and Asian Games all around champion Sui Lu of China.

Skipping the floor event in which she won the world title in Rotterdam in November, Mitchell focussed on beam, the apparatus on which she finished an unlucky fourth at the worlds.

After finishing fourth on the horizontal bars on Saturday behind China’s world championships all-around silver medallist Jiang Yuyuan, Mitchell decided to give it everything in the final routine of what has quickly become the most successful year for any Australian gymnast in history.

The Perth teenager was happy to end a remarkable 2010 on a winning note.

“I’m relieved that I was able to perform well and that I finished the year really well,” Mitchell said.

“Today was like a worlds final so I went into the routine with the mindset to put it all out there and see what result that would bring.”

“After all the travelling it is really important to know that I can do it under any circumstances. It is very satisfying to finish the year with a win.”

Since her Commonwealth Games gold medal winning haul in Delhi, Mitchell has criss-crossed the globe, travelling to Europe and back to Australia before ending her season in Japan.

After a frustrating run of injuries over at the beginning of the year including a broken hand, sprained ankle and an adductor strain that forced her out of competition for nearly 12 months, Mitchell returned to competition winning four gold medals at the Commonwealth Games in Delhi before going on to become Australia’s first female gymnastics world champion. After the world titles, her amazing string of performances continued, capturing five gold medals at her two world cup circuit appearances in what is unquestionably the best string of performances by an Australian gymnast in history.

Lauren Mitchell 2010 in brief:

* World Championships – Gold – Floor

* Commonwealth Games – 4 x Gold – Team, All-Around, Beam and Bars

* Stuttgart World Cup – 3 x Gold – Floor, Beam and Bars

* Glasgow World Cup – 2 x Gold – Floor and Beam

* Toyota Cup Japan – Gold – Beam

– Gymnastics Australia