Mattis confidence boosted after runner-up finish in Belgium
National gymnast Tyesha Mattis says her performance at the Gympies Gymnova Cup (GGC) in Keerbergen, Belgium, on Sunday has rebuilt her confidence after the Pan American Games last month.
Mattis competed on the uneven bars and her point total of 12.867 placed her second behind Canadian Rose Woo, who totalled 13.667.
She says this performance is a confidence booster because an ankle injury sustained just before competing at the Pan Am Games caused her to finish 15th and 33rd there in the uneven bars and beams, respectively, and forced her to forfeit the rest of her routine.
Mattis said recently that she would consider specialising in just the bars and beams as she sees them as her strongest events. Here at GGC, she wanted to attempt all four events, which are completed by the vault and floor exercises, but despite only competing on the bars, she says she is still happy with the outcome.
“I was very disappointed I wasn’t able to compete on all four apparatuses as I’ve always been a strong all-around gymnast,” she told the Jamaica Observer after the event. “However, it was amazing being able to compete bar and get second place, scoring 12.867.
“I’m very proud of myself. Getting close to gold — it’s keeping me very confident.
“It’s great to remind myself hard work does pay off and you just need to keep believing in yourself because I do fall into my shell sometimes and forget that I’m still a star.”
Mattis says she is mindful of the risks involved in competing injured, as she did at the Pan Am Games, as she needs to ensure that she can continue competing to give herself a chance to qualify for the Olympic Games in Paris next summer.
“I had to look after my body and know when it’s the right time to stop and give myself a better chance for the future,” she said.
Mattis, who won a bronze medal at the Central American and Caribbean Games in El Salvador last summer, is looking to become Jamaica’s third-consecutive entrant in an Olympic Games, after Toni-Ann Williams at the Rio 2016 Games and Danusia Francis at Tokyo 2020.
