WITH<\p>THEIR sport barred from the Island Games proper, Bermuda’s gymnasts showed their class in last week’s Island Games offshoot in the Isle of Man by scooping the team gold as they hoovered up a total of 40 medals.The senior team battled from behind on the opening day to win out.

Bermuda lay in third place after the vault, with Isle of Man in the lead and Faroe Islands in second, but the quartet of Hannah King, Kaisey Griffith, Caitlyn Mello, Riann Ming and Catherine Araujo performed their floor routines with power and grace to inch ahead of the pack.

Bermuda finished with 101.018; Isle of Man right behind with 100.584 and Faroes with 100.135.

The junior team of Morgan Beckles, Rosie Finnigan, Rebecca Forgesson, Taylor Cleave, and Amber Lopes put up a good fight, but finished second to Isle of Man.

Wednesday was the four-piece set competition. Again, the scores were close.

Bermuda swept the bar medals with Griffith taking gold, Mello silver and Ming the bronze.

Beam saw Bermuda back on the on the podium with Griffith on top and Mello beside her in second. Floor was nearly as successful with Griffith and Mello claiming second and third respectively and in the all around Kaisey Griffith finished first with Caitlyn Mello coming in third.

Bermuda were equally successful at the junior level with Rosie Finnigan finishing first on the vault and second in the all around.

Morgan Beckles was a regular up on the podium medaling on every event - second on vault, third on bars, third on beam, first on floor and first in the all around.

With the momentum of success behind them the Bermuda girls, though tired on the Friday, still managed to remain at the top.

Kaisey Griffith finished first on beam, second on the floor, and first on vault but due to injury she withdrew from the competition before competing on the bars so did not place in the all around.

Caitlyn Mello placed third on vault, third on beam and third in the all around. Riann Ming placed third on bars, third on floor and second in the all around. Top honours were taken by Isle of Man’s Olivia Curran.

The junior competition resulted in Rosie Finnigan taking the silver medal on vault and bronze on bars. Morgan Beckles took her usual haul of five medals; bronze on vault and beam, silver on floor and gold on bars and in the all around.

The 40 medals collected by the Bermuda girls won’t go toward the island’s medal count, but the girls and coaches Tina Williams and Michelle Strenk are still happy with the results.

Strenk said: “It was an upbeat and fun meet with the girls making friends with the athletes from other islands and everyone truly hoping for the other’s success.

“The Bermuda girls were wonderful ambassadors for Bermuda showing how friendly we are and how good we are at standing on the podium. All the athletes are looking forward to meeting again in Aland for the 2009 Island Games.”

Bermuda Island Games chief Jon Gazzard said: “I am disappointed we didn’t have them in Rhodes with us because it would have vaulted us in the medal count.

“We wouldn’t have come first but it would have put us back into the situation of the past two games — in that fourth placed spot.”