Upwey gymnast Ryan Hurst displays his impressive haul of state championship medals.By Paul Pickering
WHEN Ryan Hurst recalls his four-medal haul at the recent Victorian Gymnastics Championships, it seems as if he is still struggling to work out how he pulled it off.
The 17-year-old Upwey resident defied his own inexperience and a shortened preparation to position himself among the state’s elite junior gymnasts.
He says his performance surpassed all expectations – not least of which his own.
Hurst finished with a bronze in the overall competition after placing second in the pommel, parallel bars and floor routine, and third in the high bar.
Having only qualified for the event six weeks before the competition, Hurst was giving many of his rivals a head start of almost two years.
“I wasn’t even sure I’d qualify,” he said.
“I’d never won a medal for that level before so they didn’t really know who I was.”
While Hurst may have been surprised by his fast-tracked success, his mother Anita says she saw glimpses of his gymnastic prowess from a young age.
“He was always jumping off trees, swinging off the fence and doing hand-stands,” she said.
“It seemed pretty natural to him.”
To the great relief of his mum, and father Neville, Hurst decided to take his spontaneous brand of backyard acrobatics to the safer surrounds of the Mountain District Gymnastic Centre in Bayswater at the age of 13.
While Hurst plays down his prospects in the sport, it is clear that he is no stranger to hard work.
The diminutive athlete can bench press his own weight.
It seems he is unaffected by his recent success, refusing to be weighed down by heightened expectations.
“I just want to see how far I can get with it while having a bit of fun,” he said.
Regardless of what lies ahead for Hurst, he can rest assured that his competitors now know who he is.
