How Australia's star gymnastics performer got her own move named after her

In what’s been her most successful year to date as a professional gymnast, Australia’s Georgia Godwin has had one of her signature moves on the uneven bars added to the FIG Code of Points with the ‘Godwin’.

ANTWERP, BELGIUM - SEPTEMBER 29: Georgia Godwin of Team Australia practices on Uneven Bars during the 2023 FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Championships Training Session at the Antwerp Sportpaleis on September 29, 2023 in Antwerp, Belgium. (Photo by Matthias Hangst/Getty Images) Credit: Matthias Hangst/Getty Images

The best of the FIG Gymnastics World Cup Series is availalble to watch on SBS On Demand.

The Queensland-born 26-year-old athlete now based in Canberra at the Australian Institute of Sport and representing NSW has been developing and refining the move for the last two years. She debuted her original movement at the FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Challenge Cup events in Tel Aviv, Israel and Osijek, Croatia in June, where she successfully obtained silver medals.

Godwin becomes only the fifth Australian in the history of the FIG (Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique) to have a signature move successfully submitted to the FIG Code of Points, which determines how each routine is scored in competition internationally. She joins Trudy Macintosh, Jacqui Dunn, Lauren Mitchell and Mez Monckton on that honour roll, whilst holding the distinct honour to have successfully performed an original routine in competition in world gymnastics.

“Having my name submitted into the Code of Points, alongside 4 other amazing WAG Aussie athletes is a huge honour,” Godwin told SBS Sport. “I’ve worked hard over the past 2 years to get the ‘Godwin’ ready and to be the first in the world and in the history of gymnastics to compete with it is a dream come true.

“I’m grateful for my inner circle who has helped me achieve this and to the wider community for all the love and support.”

Joining a select group of athletes which includes Simone Biles, the announcement of the ‘Godwin’ into the Code of Points caps off a highly successful breakout year for her. On top of her silver medal performances on the uneven bars, as well as a silver medal on the vault in the Paris World Challenge Cup in September, Godwin won five World Challenge Cup gold medals in the vault, balance beam and floor routines in Israel and Croatia. She also won the overall World Challenge Cup points series in the aforementioned disciplines.

Godwin also played a vital role in helping the Australian WAG team successfully qualify for next year’s Paris Olympics at the Artistic Gymnastics World Championships in Belgium last month. Australia’s qualification is the first since London in 2012.

ANTWERP, BELGIUM - September 29: The Australian team of Breanna Scott, Kate McDonald, Georgia Godwin, Ruby Pass, and Emily Whitehead strike a pose through the smoke as they enter the arena for podium training during the Artistic Gymnastics World Championships-Antwerp 2023 at the Antwerp Sportpaleis on September 29th, 2023 in Antwerp, Belgium. (Photo by Tim Clayton/Corbis via Getty Images) Credit: Tim Clayton - Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images

With Paris now at the forefront of her mind, Godwin will now be focusing on qualifying for a team spot at the Australian Championships to be held in her home city of the Gold Coast in May. Prior to that, she is eyeing off a potential start in the 2024 FIG World Challenge Cup event in Antalya, Turkey in late March and possibly Osijek, Croatia in the first week in April, pending team selection by Gymnastics Australia.

SBS Sport extends its very best wishes to Georgia in pursuit for Olympic glory in Paris next year.

You can watch Georgia Godwin complete her signature uneven bars movement from the 2023 FIG World Challenge Cup in Tel Aviv and Osijek EXCLUSIVELY on SBS On Demand.