Updated 11.59
17-YEAR-OLD Alice Kinsella, daughter of former Ireland midfielder Mark, has struck gymnastics gold for England at the Commonwealth Games.
Her first-place finish in the women’s beam on Australia’s Gold Coast comes as her first major title victory.
Essex-born Kinsella scored 13.7 to edge Australia’s Georgia-Brown into silver, while England teammate Kelly Simm pocketed the bronze medal.
It’s the teenager’s third medal of the Games – England took silver in the team competition and she earned bronze in the all-around.
“I have never felt so nervous in all my life because it was quite tight,” the Park Wrekin gymnast said after, as quoted by Express & Star.
Another English gymnastics gold.
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) April 9, 2018
Alice Kinsella wins the women's beam, after bronze in the all-around final.
The medals just keep on coming.#GC2018 pic.twitter.com/miK6OsLunm
“But I just went out there to do the exact same floor routine that I do in training and see what came out of it. I could have done a lot better, the beam wasn’t quite what I wanted with the landing so I could have improved on that.
“But I am still so proud of what I have done here.”
Kinsella’s father, Mark, was capped 48 times for the Boys in Green and was part of Mick McCarthy’s 2002 World Cup squad. He also lined out with Charlton Athletic and Aston Villa.
He now works as a coach at Drogheda United and alongside Noel King with the Ireland U21s, for whom his son and Alice’s brother, Liam, plays. The 22-year-old is on the books at Wallsall.
Liam tweeted after his sister’s achievement: “Definition of hard work pays off.”
A talented family, alright.
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