Following an underwhelming performance at the PanAm Gymnastics Championships in Colombia, Tyesha Mattis promised to bounce back better and stronger.
Thought that strong comeback didn't translate into a Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Games All-Around medal as she would have hoped, the English-born artistic gymnast took home the next best thing from El Salvador –an historic bronze medal in the uneven bars competition.
For Mattis claiming Jamaica's first-ever medal in the event at the Games with a score of 12.750, was an emotional experience given the many setbacks she faced each time she enters a major competition with high expectations.
Mexico's Paulino Campos (13.400) and Panama's Andrea Navas (13.050) were the top two in the uneven bars, while Trinidad and Tobago’s Annalise Newman-Achee (12.200) was fourth.
Along with that bronze medal, Mattis also contested the balance beam All-Around finals, where she finished seventh and eighth with scores of 10.350 and 47.850 respectively. Mattis’s sister, China also contested the All-Around final but didn’t see it through to the end, while Newman-Achee placed sixth with a score of 48.750.
Campos (12.650) and Navas (12.000), again took the top two spots in the balance beam, with another Mexican Alexa Moreno (11.550) in third. However, Navas topped the All-Around battle with 50.500, ahead of Moreno (49.650) and another Panamanian Alexandra Heron (49.450).
“Overall, I feel like I had an amazing competition, and I was so impressed with how I did, making history being the first Jamaican gymnast to medal at CAC Games. I am also very happy that I had my mum and my sister out there with me supporting me and I’m so impressed with my sister making AA finals as well with me. I just can’t wait for another competition to get out there and represent Jamaica again and do a bit better than I did this time,” Mattis told Sportsmax.tv.
Jamilia Duffus and lone male gymnast Canada-born Elel Wahrmann Baker were also among Jamaica’s representatives at the Games.
The 24-year-old Mattis, has always been a prominent figure among Jamaica’s standout performers since switching allegiance last year, and after months without making a podium at numerous events, she pointed to an overwhelming sense of redemption, which resulted in her tearful wave to the crowd after competition.
“It has been a very emotional rollercoaster because I’ve worked so hard over the years, coming back from injury before joining team Jamaica and then not always executing in competition, like I do in training. So after having such a bad performance in Colombia a few weeks ago, I was just excited to make a comeback at this competition and perform great routines,” she shared.
“I know I am more than capable of doing great things, and I just need to trust that my body can do the work and again, not putting too much pressure on myself. It can be a bummer when you work so hard in the gym and when you really want to put out your best, you make mistakes, so I am pretty excited about this accomplishment, I’ve learned from those mistakes and this is now a step in the right direction,” Mattis added.
That direction is towards the Artistic Gymnastics World Cup in September where Mattis hopes to prove that this medal stemmed from her immense potential and unflinching desire to make it big for Jamaica, as oppose to a hefty dose of good fortune.
To achieve that, and by extension, possibly qualify for next year’s Olympic Games in France, she knows it will require more solid performances.
“I am really looking forward to a better performance next time out at the World Cup in September. Looking forward to trying some different routines there and putting out more of my skills as I know I have so much more up my sleeve and I have always said that the more I compete internationally, the more confident I feel,” Mattis noted.
“So, I can’t wait to compete at that World Cup. I’m feeling very motivated and excited about the future,” she ended.
Despite failing to secure qualification to the Pan American (PanAm) Games nor the World Championships, Jamaica's artistic gymnasts Tyesha Mattis and Kiara Richmon took heart from their respective performances at the just-concluded PanAm Gymnastics Championships in Medellin, Colombia.
Mattis, Richmon and newcomer Mya Absolam, all produced credible showings in a highly competitive environment at the three-day championships which ended on Sunday but were unable to break into a coveted top 12 position.
The England-born Mattis, who was Jamaica’s standout performer at last year’s event when she qualified for the World championships, expressed some disappointment that she wasn’t able to repeat the feat, as she was firmly set on getting to the PanAm Games in Chile and the World Championships in Belgium, later this year.
She placed 32nd overall with an all-around total of 44.500, after scoring 12.867 on vault, 10.533 on uneven bars, 10.733 on the balance beam and 10.367 for her floor routine.
"I was happy with parts of my performances, but I felt like I put a little bit too much pressure on myself to qualify and so I didn’t do as well as I would have liked to,” Mattis said shortly after competition.
However, the 24-year-old did find a few positive takeaways that she hopes to improve on ahead of next month’s Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Games in El Salvador, when she is next expected to parade her skills for the island.
“I managed to complete a 2 1/2 twist off beam again after not putting that out in competition for over four years, so I am super proud of myself in that regards as I am proving to myself that I can do more than I am limiting myself to,” she reasoned.
“I am more than capable, and I just need to trust that my body can do the work and again, not putting too much pressure on myself. I work so hard in the gym and when I really wanted to put out my best, I made a couple mistakes.
“But I have to remember I’m only human and I can learn from some of my mistakes and so I am really looking forward to a better performance out in El Salvador in a couple weeks. Looking forward to trying some different routines there and putting out more of my skills as I know I have so much more up my sleeve and the more I compete internationally, the more confident I feel,” Mattis added.
For Richmon, who placed 36th overall with an all-around score of 42.866, just being able to represent Jamaica at the event, represents a remarkable achievement and another significant milestone in her budding career.
Her total includes score of 11.100 on vault, 10.233 on the uneven bars, 10.400 on the balance beam and 11.133 for her floor routine.
“I feel like I did my best with my performance at the championships, especially being that I only had two weeks to prepare. So, I am definitely proud that I was able to hit all four apparatus and getting to be here with the team,” Richmon shared.
With this being her first elite outing since 2019, the 21-year-old Fisk University student is eagerly looking forward to continuing her journey, as her unwavering determination, relentless work ethic and immense potential positions her as one of country’s gymnast to watch.
“It felt amazing, and this performance will definitely serve as motivation for me going forward, I just need to just trust my training and do not over work myself. I also need to have more confidence and belief in myself and hopefully on my next competition I can produce a stronger performance with cleaner routines,” the US-born Richmon said.
Meanwhile, Absolam, another England-born gymnast, had an all-around total of 39.533, after scoring 10.333, 10.033, 8.600, 10.567, on vault, uneven bars, balance beam and floor, respectively. She placed 42nd overall.
On the male side, Canada-born Elel Wahrmann-Baker, was Jamaica’s top performer, placing 27th overall, with an all-around total of 72.301. Wahrmann-Baker had scores of 12.767 on floor, 13.067 on the pommel horse, 11.067 on rings, 13.100 on vault, 13.133 parallel bars and 10.167 on high bar.
Caleb Faulk placed 29th overall with scores of 12.300, 10.900, 12.400, 12.767, 11.9667 and 11.667 for an all-Around total of 72.001, while Matthew McClymont tallied 63.165 for 47th overall. His scores include 12.233, 9.133, 7.533, 12.733, 10.800 and 10.733.
Jamaica’s other representative Michael Reid only took on the pommel horse and parallel bars where he scored 11.933 and 12.467 for a total 24.400.
After a year-long wait, Jamaica's England-born artistic gymnast Tyesha Mattis is excited to finally be back on the PanAm Gymnastics Championships stage, with the main objective being to repeat her World Championships qualification feat.
Mattis, who enjoyed a fairly successful debut season for Jamaica after switching allegiance, qualified for the World Championships on the back of a stellar performance at last year's Pan Am Championships in Brazil. However, she was unable to take up her spot at the World event, which serves as an Olympic Games qualifier, due to financial constraints.
With that disappointment still fresh in her mind, Mattis is now eager to spring into action in Medellin, Colombia, as she hopes to surpass her performances from last year.
She will be joined by United States-based Kiara Richmon and newcomer Mya Absolam as Jamaica's representatives at the three-day championships scheduled to begin on Friday.
The other team members Danyella Holmes and Jamilia Francis, both pulled out due to injury and a lack of readiness, respectively.
"I am so excited to be out here to again represent my country, this is my first major competition for the season and a really important one on my list. So, I am itching to get going as I’m really looking forward to improving my performance from last year," Mattis declared.
That performance she refers to is the 48.467 she tallied All-Around, with scores of 12.867 on vault, 13.000 on uneven bars, 11.333 on the balance beam and 11.267 on her floor routine.
Though that, among others to date identify her as one of Jamaica’s best young gymnasts, Mattis, knows she still has a ways to go and needs to continue improving to bring her Olympic dream to fruition.
“You always want to get better, and I honestly believe there isn’t really anywhere to stop in terms of areas you can improve on, but I feel as ready as I can be," she said.
"My preparation has been really good, I have been working on some old skills I used to have in my routine, hoping to up my start value a little and those routines are going well. So all I can do now is try my best, I know I have put the work in and I’m just going to try my best to get everything out there," Mattis added.
The 23-year-old is no stranger to the big stage as she had success as a six-time British champion, two-time English champion, Australian youth Olympic champion and European Youth Olympic medallist before injuries derailed her budding career and forced her to step away from the sport in 2018.
But since returning and, by extension, switching allegiance to Jamaica, the land of mother Charmaine Clarke's birth, Mattis has shown that she is willing to put in the hours of gruelling work it takes to be an Olympic athlete.
Should she make the cut for the World Championships and go on to qualify for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, Mattis would join Toni-Ann Williams and the recently retired British-born Danusia Francis to achieve the feat.
"I think it’s safe to say I am much more motivated now than I was last year, I have set myself a few targets and I have been working really hard to make achieve them. My first goal is to qualify for the World Championships and have a clean competition and then getting to the Olympic Games is my ultimate dream," Mattis noted.
"But the journey starts here and so I just want to go out there and do my absolute best on the four apparatuses, but I need to do it slowly and smartly and then build from there. I just want to be able to jump high and flip better to make my start values higher and give myself a good chance of medalling," the cheerful personality ended.
Jamaican gymnast Tyesha Mattis has described her debut for Jamaica competing at the Pan American Youth and Senior Gymnastics Championships as an amazing experience and she cannot wait to don the national colours again at the World Gymnastics Championships in England in October.
The 23-year-old Mattis, who along with her sister, recently switched allegiance from England to Jamaica, was the first of 11 All Around gymnasts to qualify for the World Championships.
The All Around gold medallist at the 2013 Australian Youth Olympic Festival said it felt great to be back in competition after a protracted hiatus.
“For me, it was a big experience just to get out there again,” she said. “I didn’t expect the results I had and it was just nice to represent my country and meet my team from Jamaica and it was just an amazing experience.
“I am just grateful to be here on the team and get this experience and I can’t wait to get out there at Worlds and show everybody my routines and my upgraded routines.”
She thanked Jamaica Gymnastics Association President Nicole Grant for affording her the opportunity to “get out there again.”
At the championships that ended Sunday, Jamaica experienced some misfortune as after finishing eighth in the team competition to qualify for the final team spot, a point was deducted from the team, which resulted in the final spot subsequently going to Cuba.
Brazil won the team competition with the USA and Canada finishing second and third, respectively.
It wasn’t all bad news, however, as Team Jamaica’s women made history by making the team qualifications for the first time for the 2023 CAC Games, joining Mexico, Colombia, Cuba, Panama and Venezuela as well as 10 other individuals from others countries with one or two spots at the meet next year.
Meanwhile, Jamaica’s male gymnast Caleb Faulk made some history of his own when he imprinted his name and Jamaica’s in the FIG Code of Points with a very difficult he skill created and flawlessly executed.
According to Grant, the skill was accepted and has been designated an E-value skill worth a massive five points.
The JAGA president thanked her country’s Sports Development Foundation and the Jamaica Olympic Association for the support they provided in helping the team get to the Pan American Championships.
“Thanks also to all the coaches, parents and gymnasts, who also made great sacrifices to compete at the meet,” she said.
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