More Games medals for Mitchell
WA gymnast Lauren Mitchell has claimed a seventh Commonwealth Games medal with her second placing in the floor final at Glasgow 2014.
The prize puts Mitchell just one shy of the record haul of medals by a WA athlete, held by shooter Ben Sandstrom with eight, including four golds.
Mitchell, the 2010 world champion in the floor exercise, has four firsts and a second from the New Delhi Games four years ago. And she added a silver in the teams’ final earlier in this meeting.
The 23-year-old briefly held the lead in the floor final with 13.833 points but was overtaken by Canadian Claudia Fragapane with produced an outstanding display to earn 14.451 points.
It was Fragapane’s fourth gold medal in Glasgow.
“I'm always still hunting for gold, but Claudia's routine was amazing. I don't think I could have got gold. She was incredible,” Mitchell said.
"To be able to do the first spin that she did, not many gymnasts in the world can do that. Just to be able to watch it live in action is amazing. I'm in awe."
Mitchell’s future in the sport is uncertain.
She has yet to commit to the world championships later this year and certainly hasn’t indicated a desire to compete at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.
Mitchell missed almost 18 months of international competition because of a shoulder injury and subsequent surgery.
Australia finished the artistic gymnastics competition with four silver medals, in the women’s beam with Mary Anne Monckton, the women’s teams, Mitchell on the floor and Larissa Miller in the uneven bars.
