Emil hopes to repeat Welsh success at GB
EMIL Barber is looking to take the momentum gained from his performances at the Welsh Artistic Gymnastic Championships into this weekend’s British Championships in Liverpool.
The 21-year-old Swansea artistic gymnast finished third in the men’s senior all-around event at the Welsh event in Cardiff at the end of last month, as well as retaining his Welsh titles on floor and vault. To cap the weekend, Barber also bagged bronze on parallel bars and the pommel horse.
Next up is the M&S Bank Arena on Liverpool’s waterfront, where he won silver on vault in the U18 British event in March 2018, a month before he travelled to Australia’s Gold Coast with Team Wales as a men’s reserve for the Commonwealth Games.
The showpiece artistic event on the domestic calendar in Britain takes centre stage once again in Liverpool from today until Sunday for the first time since 2019.
Covid-19 forced its cancellation in 2020, while last year the men’s and women’s events were staged separately in Cardiff and Guildford respectively.
And ahead of the event’s return home to Liverpool, Barber is certainly looking forward to it.
“Yeah, really happy with how the Welsh went,” he said.
“The main aim was to hit scores to qualify for the British and I went in knowing what I needed to do.
“I kept my head on, went out and did my job and managed to get a few qualification scores – and a couple of medals – so what was there not to be happy about?
“Now I go to the British and my aim there is to make finals and potentially walk away with a medal or two.
“I know the scores I can put out and the potential that I have to do that, I know it’s there, so I’ve got to go and do the same thing I did at the Welsh. And if I do that, then there’s quite a high possibility of getting a medal.”
A good performance at the British Championships will further boost his chances of selection for this summer’s Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.
There will also be plenty of Welsh interest in the younger men’s artistic age categories, including Alex Niscoveanu in the U16 all-around event, where he won silver last year.
Alex, who turns 16 next month, hails from Penarth and trains at South Essex. He was also the youngest member of the Wales men’s team who won gold at the Northern Europeans last November and is tipped for big things.