Things may not have gone how Jamaica’s artistic gymnastics team would have hoped, but there were still some significant positives to boast from the Pan American Gymnastic Championships in Brazil.

While neither the male team of Michael Reid, Caleb Faulk and Matthew McClymont nor the female team of British-born sisters China and Tyesha Mattis, as well as Jamilia Duffus and Danyella Richards, qualified for upcoming events as a unit, there were some individual successes worth celebrating.

Tyesha, the elder Mattis, who recently received clearance to represent Jamaica, secured the country’s lone qualification to the World Gymnastics Championships later this year, as well as for the Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Games next year.

Though slightly disappointed that both the male and female teams suffered technical difficulties which hindered their efforts, Jamaica Gymnastics Association (JAGA) president Nicole Grant-Brown welcomed Tyesha’s success.

“Team Jamaica did not qualify, but we are happy that Jamaica will still be represented at the World Championships later this year,” Grant-Brown told the Jamaica Observer from Rio.

Tyesha Mattis tallied 48.467 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.

Her teammates Danyella Richards tallied 43.400 and China Mattis (43.501), while Jamilia Duffus, the only locally-trained member of the team, had a score of 39.366 All-Around. Together the ladies had a score of 134.368, which placed them ninth on the team listing.

Meanwhile, Faulk created history at the event when he performed an original on the High bars which was accepted in the FIG Code points.

The American-born gymnast, who has been representing Jamaica since 2015, was beaming about the historic achievement.

“I am very happy that the skill that I have been working on since 2017 has been accepted as a new element into the code of points which will be the first element from a Jamaican to be submitted and accepted into men’s artistic gymnastics,” a delighted Faulk shared.

“So it’s truly an honour and on top of that I was able to give good performances on the other five events and not just the one I performed the new element on. So I am very pleased with my performances at the Pan American Championships and I am really happy that I was able to accomplish my major goal here,” he added.

In his individual competition, Faulk tallied 69.566 All-Around for 29th overall, with his best scores coming on the vault (12.867), rings (12.533) and floor exercise, where he scored 12.253.

McClymont, another new addition to Jamaica’s team placed 32nd overall with an All-Around score of 68.933, while Reid, who only contested the pommel horse and bars apparatuses, scored 23.967 for 71st overall. As a team, the men tallied 162.466 for 15th on the standings.

Faulk, Reid, Richards and Tyesha Mattis, who has competed for Great Britain in the past, could take up the four spots for Jamaica at the July 28 to August 8 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.

Despite missing out on World Championships, the ladies qualified as a team for the Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Games, a first for the country.