HORSHAM product and WestVic gymnast Hudson Irwin has won his second consecutive national championship.
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Irwin won a gold medal in the level nine under-17 all-round men’s artistic category at the 2016 Australian Gymnastic Championships at Hisense Arena in Melbourne last week.
It comes after he was the level nine under-15 all-round champion at the 2015 event.
Irwin finished with a total of 153.399 points to win the 2016 championship.
Fellow Victorian Heath Thorpe took second place with a total of 152.215 points.
The championships were spread across five days, with Irwin competing on Tuesday and Thursday.
In addition to the individual all-round gold, Irwin was also successful in the team competition, with Victoria winning the national championship.
He said the team almost fell short in what was a fantastic outing for a young group of gymnasts.
“It was such a great competition for all of us,” he said.
“Queensland came extremely close and narrowed in.
“But it forced the squad to come together and finish with one of our best efforts.”
Irwin shone in the under-17 all-round championships this year, showing confidence on all apparatus as well as the floor.
He said he was pleased with the results.
“Finishing first in the all-round again is a really great feeling,” he said.
“It’s great to see the training I have been doing through the year has finally paid off.”
Irwin studies at Melbourne’s Victorian College of the Arts, and trains at the Victorian Men’s High Performance Centre.
He said living in the city had benefited his growth as a professional athlete.
“It is really helping. I’m in a professional environment full-time,” he said.
“It pushes you to be around such great gymnasts who are constantly improving.”
Irwin spends half of the week living with a team-mate from the Victorian gymnastic team, and the other half with his mother back home in the Wimmera.
Irwin said he was grateful for the support of his family, friends and team-mates.
“Having such a tight group to support you is really good,” he said.
“You seem to perform better when you know everyone so well as well.”
Irwin’s success in last year’s championships also led to him winning the Gymnastics Victoria Male Junior International Gymnast of the Year award at the start of 2016.