HISTORIC ALL-AROUND FINAL BERTH FOR JOVI

17-year-old displays grit to break new ground for S'pore at junior world meet

- Deepanraj Ganesan

Following what he described as a “poor” outing at the junior men’s artistic gymnastics Asian championships in South Korea in June, Jovi Loh was unsatisfied that his season would be ending on a whimper.

Determined not to let his year be defined by that competition where he finished 11th out of 24 competitors the 17-year-old worked hard on his rehabilitation after ankle surgery as he raced against time to be fit for another world-level event.

The Singaporean teenager’s determination has worked a treat. On Nov 20, Jovi clinched qualification to the all-around final at the junior world championships in Manila. In a Facebook post, Singapore Gymnastics said he is the first male gymnast from Singapore to qualify for a final at a world championships.

At the Marriott Grand Ballroom, Newport World Resorts, Jovi scored 75.698 points, finishing 22nd in the individual all-around qualifiers to advance to the final on Nov 22.

The top 24 of more than 120 athletes qualify for the final.