South Australian artistic gymnast Jesse Moore set for Olympic call-up

A 21-year-old South Australian gymnast is close to achieving his Olympic dream and making history for his home state on the world’s biggest stage.

South Australian artistic gymnast Jesse Moore is on the cusp of achieving his Olympics dream after winning last month’s Oceania Continental Championship.

The 21-year-old starred throughout the tournament held in Auckland, New Zealand to claim gold and is now set to be named among the Australian gymnastics team for this year’s Paris Olympics.

If selected, Moore will become the first South Australian men’s artistic gymnast to compete at the Olympic Games.

It would be a remarkable feat for the rising star, who only recently recovered from a shoulder surgery he underwent in late 2022 for a labrum tear after competing in the Birmingham Commonwealth Games.

Star SA artistic gymnast Jesse Moore is set to be named among the Australian team for the Paris Olympics. Picture: Instagram

“It hasn’t sunk in yet, I’m pretty speechless,” Moore said of being close to his Olympic dream.

“It has been a hard process but I’m really excited for the opportunity.

“Obviously it has felt really good to be back and doing all-round events – I made a couple mistakes toward the end of the championships but overall I went well and it was a really enjoyable experience.”

Moore started his journey as part of the Ascot Park Primary School gymnastics program before gaining the attention of South Australia’s High Performance Program coach, Paul Szyjko.

He won four consecutive national titles from 2015 to 2018 before competing in his first junior international tournament, claiming bronze on the horizontal bar at the Pacific Rim Championships.

Moore in action during day four of the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. Picture: Elsa/Getty Images

Moore performed at the top of his game after joining the South Australian High Performance Program in 2021, finishing fourth in his first senior international competition and narrowly missing selection for the Tokyo Olympics.

He continued his momentum in 2022 at Birmingham but had to withdraw in the finals due to his ongoing shoulder issues.

“I missed the whole competition vibe and atmosphere when I was injured and recovery was a challenge but I still had some positive experiences,” Moore said.

“The Commonwealth Games were great for me even though I wasn’t able to compete for the entire duration – just being among athletes of that level I was able to gain experience and knowledge from that.”

The Australian gymnastics team for the Paris Olympics is set to be announced on June 18.

Moore said he was proud to have the chance of being SA’s first men’s artistic gymnast to compete in the Games.

“It’s really exciting that I’m close to that achievement and my Olympic dream.

“It’s also a credit to Gymnastics SA who have really done the hard yards with me through my junior development.”