Three Sydney teens to compete in Future Cup gymnastics event in Austria

Three Sydney teens will take on some of the world’s best junior gymnasts this weekend at the Future Cup event in Austria. Meet the rising stars.

Three Sydney teenagers will take on some of the world’s best youth gymnasts later this week when they compete in one of the most prestigious junior invitational events in Europe.

Toongabbie teen Daniel Chalabov, 14, Northern Beaches gymnast John Carroll, 15, and Glenwood’s Tru Hagens, 15, will all take the floor for the Australian team at the Future Cup in Linz, Austria.

They will be joined by Victorian athletes Xavier Magnanini and William Hansen-Cooper.

The event, which takes place on Friday and Saturday, November 25-26, is considered one of the top competitions on the European circuit for male artistic gymnastics (MAG), which includes the apparatuses of floor, pommel horse, still rings, vault, parallel bars and high bars.

It also represents a resumption of international competition for the boys – who all compete in the level 9, under 15 division – following two years of Covid-disrupted scheduling.

“This is a great opportunity for all the boys who have been selected, especially after being locked down for such a long period of time, to get back not only on the national stage, but also the international stage,” says Alex Hunt, the MAG program manager at Carroll’s gym, the Manly Warringah Gymnastics Club.

Meet the rising stars below.

Daniel Chalabov

Daniel Chalabov, 14, who trains at Bella Vista's Sydney Hills Gymnastics, will compete as part of the Australian team at the Future Cup in Linz, Austria, in November 2022. Picture: supplied.

An athlete at Sydney Hills Gymnastics at Bella Vista, Daniel trains 26 hours a week under the eye of coach Vassili Trofimov, who is also in Linz with the Australian team for the Future Cup.

After first starting out in acrobatics and dance, Daniel took up gymnastics at the age of six, and has since developed to become one of the top junior gymnasts in the country.

He won first place all around at the National Clubs Carnival in 2018, and backed that up with second-place all around finishes at the 2019 and 2021 Australian Gymnastics Championships.

“I have coached Daniel for seven years now and in that time, he has grown in not just his gymnastics skills but also in his resilience, grit and dedication to achieve the best he possibly can,” says Trofimov, who is not only Daniel’s coach but also the director at Sydney Hills Gymnastics.

“I am excited for this opportunity for Daniel to compete on international arena as he has consistently worked hard to get to where he is.”

John Carroll

Northern Beaches gymnast John Carroll, 15, will enter the Future Cup in Austria in good form. Photo: supplied.

A gymnast at the Manly Warringah Gymnastics Club, the 15-year-old will enter the Future Cup on the back of some strong recent form.

He finished second all around in the level 9, under 15 division at the Australian Gymnastics Championships in May this year, and was champion in the vault apparatus.

This came after he claimed the NSW all around title at the state championships in 2019.

And while John is well and truly up there with the top few gymnasts in the country, his coach Alex Hunt says he’s not letting any pressure get to him.

“He just wants to keep enjoying gymnastics as much as he can and hopefully represent Australia at the senior international level.”

Tru Hagens

Tru Hagens, pictured here competing at the 2019 Australian Gymnastics Championships, recently claimed the NSW CHS title.

The 15-year-old, who trains at the Gymnastics NSW High Performance Centre at Rooty Hill, is another entering the Future Cup on the back of some strong form.

Early this year Tru was crowned the NSW Combined High School all around MAG champion. In a dominant display, the Glenwood High student placed first in four apparatuses – high bars, parallel bars, pommel horse and rings – and second in the floor and the vault to claim the overall victory.

Another who puts in around 25 hours a week to train, Tru’s parents first enrolled him into gymnastics as an energetic six-year-old – and he hasn’t looked back since.

In 2019 the then 12-year-old won the level 7, under 13 title at the Australian National Championships, where he won gold in the floor, pommel horse and parallel bars.