GYMNASTICS

MEDALS SHOW T0KY0 PLANS ON TRACK

Pegasus head coach Ionut Trandaburu began plotting the path to Toyko as soon as Courtney Tulloch and James Hall missed out on Rio. Trandaburu is determined to help the pair make the Great Britain squad for the next Olympics in 2020 and, after European success, everything’s going to plan. He said: “Straight after the last Olympic trial we came in the gym, planned together, all three of us, and started pushing hard. We said 2020 would be our year. “The plan was to go to the Europeans and not just compete. “Our targets were for Courtney to qualify for the rings final and medal, James to qualify for the all-round and try for the top three and also qualify for the high bar final, and we did all three. “It’s the World Championship in Canada next, where we try to match possibly the same results, maybe a little bit better. The boys are motivated, they’re ready to work even harder. “They’ve stuck to their guns and they did exactly what they said they were going to do.” The European Championships gave Trandaburu a chance to go back to Romania, specifically Cluj, where he won gold in the National Championships 23 years ago. After helping Tulloch win silver and Hall bronze, Trandaburu said: “It was our biggest result that I’ve achieved with them as seniors and it came in Romania, the country of my birth. “It was a privilege to be there and beat everyone. “I don’t get to go back at all, I don’t have the time. “People in Europe, they know about the club and they know about the gymnasts, not just James and Courtney.”