Commonwealth Games: Eyres hoping to inspire the next generation of gymnasts

Isle of Man gymnast Harry Eyres is hoping his performance at this year’s Commonwealth Games will help inspire the next generation of young gymnasts in the island.

The 20-year-old made his Games debut in Glasgow and produced a impressive display, exceeding expectations by qualifying for Sunday’s men’s artistic gymnastics all-around final before finishing 16th against some of the Commonwealth’s top competitors.

Competing in sub-division one of qualifying on Friday, Eyres made a confident start to the biggest competition of his career. He recorded a score of 12.800 on the vault, while also impressing on the floor with 11.650.

His remaining scores were 10.950 on the parallel bars, 10.700 on the pommel horse, 10.350 on the rings and 10.100 on the horizontal bar, giving him an all-around total of 66.550 points.

The performance left the Manx gymnast firmly in contention for a place in the final, although he then faced an anxious wait as the remaining qualification sessions took place later in the day.

When the qualification standings were completed, Eyres found himself listed as first reserve for the final, meaning he would only compete if one of the qualifiers withdrew.

Late on Saturday evening, that opportunity arrived as one of the finalists pulled out, earning Eyres a place in Sunday’s showpiece event at the Glasgow International Arena.

Rather than simply making up the numbers, the Manx athlete once again demonstrated his consistency across all six apparatus, scoring 11.850 on the floor, 10.950 on the pommel horse, 10.900 on the rings, 10.550 on the vault, 10.950 on the parallel bars and 9.800 on the horizontal bar.

His combined score of 65.000 secured 16th place in the final and completed an excellent Commonwealth Games debut.

Reflecting on his achievement afterwards, Eyres admitted he was proud to have reached the final at his first Games.

‘It's amazing, really amazing,’ he said. ‘It's such a great competition to be part of and to be in the final is such an honour.

‘It was amazing competing in front of a crowd like that. It was nice to be in a home nation and have the crowd behind us. My family's up here as well, so that made it even more special.’

Although delighted with his performance, Eyres felt there was still more to come after a mistake on one apparatus prevented him from posting an even higher score.

‘I was happy with it. I took a fall on the vault which probably cost me about two marks, so I think I was capable of scoring around the 67 or 68-point mark.

‘There are little bits that could have been cleaner here and there, but overall I'm really happy.

‘It's all something to build on.’

The wait to discover whether he had reached the final also tested his patience, but the youngster said he remained focused in case an opportunity arose.

‘I just had to keep my mind in the game because, as we saw, someone pulled out and I got the call-up. It was nice to know on Saturday night that I was competing because it made it much easier to go to bed knowing I was in the final.’

Eyres also hopes his success in Glasgow will provide a boost for gymnastics on the Isle of Man, particularly among younger athletes.

Competing in Scotland, he became the first male gymnast to represent the island at Commonwealth level since Alex Hedges did so in the previous Glasgow Games in 2014.

‘I hope it inspires the younger generation and that Manx gymnastics can continue to build both the boys' and girls' sides for future Games,’ he added.

With his Commonwealth Games campaign now complete, Eyres has a handful of competitions later this year. Beyond that, he has one eye on next year's Island Games in the Faroe Islands, the home Island Games in 2029 and potentially another Commonwealth Games appearance in India the following year.

Follow the team’s progress on this website and on our social platforms, as well as the Isle of Man Examiner, Manx Independent and Isle of Man Courier newspapers.

Media Isle of Man’s Commonwealth Games coverage is brought to you in association with Canaccord Wealth.