Identical twins Abigail and Emily Roper created Welsh Commonwealth Games history by winning bronze medals within an hour of each other at the gymnastics apparatus finals in Glasgow.
Abigail finished third in the vault final, one place ahead of her sister, to secure Wales' first Commonwealth Games medal in the event for 35 years. Emily quickly bounced back from the disappointment of narrowly missing out on vault bronze by taking third place in the uneven bars final less than an hour later.
Sisters Reflect on 'Crazy' Achievement
"I can't even put into words how crazy it is," said Abigail. "I went into this final with no expectations, it was my first final at a major tournament and I was just happy to make it."
"Obviously, both my sister and I made the final, which was amazing in itself. To have two Welsh gymnasts in a vault final was incredible. Then to come away with a medal is just insane. I wasn't expecting it at all."
Abigail added: "My sister finished fourth, which is a really tough place to finish, but I think she'll be happy for me. I'm really proud of her as well."
Vault and Bars Success
Emily produced two consistent vaults, but Abigail's outstanding opening effort of 13.766 proved decisive despite a lower second score. Their training partner, England's Abi Martin, took silver, while Canada's Lia-Monica Fontaine won gold.
Emily responded in style, scoring 13.666 to claim bronze on the uneven bars before the sisters embraced on the competition floor as parents John and Michelle watched proudly from the stands.
"Coming back from the vault was disappointing but I was super proud for Ab," said Emily. "It was about doing my own thing on the bars and this result was just amazing. I just needed to regather my emotions and just know I knew what I could do."
"Going from vault straight to bars, it wasn't that long a time. So being resilient obviously helped a lot and I'm glad it paid off."
Family and Heritage
The sisters grew up in Ipswich but switched their international allegiance to Wales in 2022 through their Welsh heritage. "I think we are both very nervous for each other, I think it is worst for me watching her," said Emily. "Our parents definitely get nervous but I am just so pleased that we both got a medal for them. It was not really in our dreams for this championship, this is just amazing."
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