Sunday, August 7, 2016

Incoming Boise State Freshman Courtney McGregor Finishes 16th in Vault at Summer Olympics

RIO DE JANEIRO--Incoming Boise State gymnastics freshman Courtney McGregor of New Zealand turned in a solid performance in vault at the Summer Olympics, finishing 16th today.

McGregor, who will join the Broncos this fall, turned in a two-vault total of 14.333 in her first Olympic games. The top eight in each event qualified for the finals. Simone Biles of the United States had the top qualifying score of 16.050, Hong Un-Jong of North Korea was second with 15.683 while Giulia Steingruber of Switzerland was third with a score of 15.266. McGregor missed qualifying for the finals by a little over half a point, as the eighth-place finisher scored 14.850.

McGregor finished 41st in the individual all-around competition (53.165), while another incoming Bronco freshman, Isabella Amado of Panama, finished 44th with a score of 52.832.

McGregor lived in Christchurch, New Zealand until May, when she moved to Boise to train for the Olympics. McGregor won a bronze medal in the vault at the 2016 Pacific Rim Gymnastics Championships, and qualified for the Summer Olympics the following week. She is the first artistic gymnast to represent New Zealand since 2000 and at age 17, is her country's youngest Olympic competitor. Courtney's coach, Mary Wright, moved with her to Boise to prepare her for the Games.

"Courtney is a beautiful gymnast who has a ton of difficulty in her routines," said Bronco co-head coach Tina Bird when the new Boise State class was announced. "She will be so much fun to watch compete. Her experience as an International Elite competitor will bring a lot to the table. She is sure to be a crowd favorite.