Sydney University Gymnast Prashanth Sellathurai has helped the Australian Men’s Gymnastic team to claim Commonwealth Games Gold at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium in Delhi.
Sellathurai, the World number three Pomel Horse Specialist and a Sydney University Elite Athlete Program Member for the past 5 years, closed out the Gold for Australia with an excellent score of 14.9 on the rings under immense pressure.
Behind to favourites England by 0.65 points at the final turn of the six rotations, Australia secured a solid score of 259.05 on the rings, while the English could only manage 256.75.
Sellathurai, part of the team that included Thomas Pichler, Sam Offord, Josh Jeffers and Luke Wowatowski managed to go one step further than the Melbourne Commonwealth Games in 2006, when they were piped for Gold by Canada.
This Gold Medal is Australia’s Men’s first Gymnastic Gold in thirty years at the Commonwealth Games.
Sellathurai is in his 2nd year studying a Bachelor of Applied Science (MRS) Diagnostic Radiography at Sydney University having previously studied a Bachelor of Health Sciences since 2006. He hopes to take up a career in the sports medicine industry after completing his gymnastics career.
The 150cm pocket rocket, who first took up gymnastics at age five to cater for an excess amount of energy, has been competing at the national level since 1999.
Sellathurai can now add Commonwealth Games Gold (2010) and Silver (2006) to World Championships Silver (2006) and Bronze (2009).
Meanwhile Sydney University Scholarship holder Zane Jordan, representing Zambia at the Commonwealth Games, swam a heat time of 27.45 in the Men’s 50m backstroke to progress to the semi-finals.
Despite swimming a slightly slower time in the semi-finals (27.70) to finish 14th, Zane will now focus on the 100m Backstroke and 100m and 200m Freestyle.