Gymnastics: Team rated realistic chance in Commonwealth event

New Zealand's five-man artistic gymnast team is rated a chance of getting the country's first medal in the teams event at the Commonwealth Games.

While not a traditional power, the New Zealand men have been close to team medals before, picking up fourth at Edmonton in 1978 and Auckland in 1990.

Mark Holyoake, 27, Patrick Peng, 21, and Misha Koudinov, 18, who all went to the 2006 Melbourne Games. Matt Palmer, 23, and Brandon Field, 18, are attending their first.

Most of them are based at the Tristar club in Auckland where they are coached by David Phillips, New Zealand's only male artistic medallist at a Commonwealth Games. He picked up bronze in the floor exercise at Kuala Lumpur in 1998.

He says this team has every right to be ambitious: "We can win medals. It is the strongest team we've had since 1990. If you look at the statistics we're sitting about fourth against other teams in the Commonwealth this year [Australia, England and Canada are rated stronger].

"All five of our guys have one or two strong events where they've posted scores that rank them in the top eight."

Four of them will compete on each apparatus - the vault, floor exercise, rings, high bar, parallel bars and pommel horse.

Phillips says their biggest obstacle comes largely from within compounded by a lack of international competition.

Holyoake was an all-rounder in 2006 but is likely to compete on just four. The pommel horse is his speciality.

To ease the burden of holding down day jobs and tertiary study the team were successful application in obtaining for a $20,000 Cadbury chocolate grant to fund their Delhi campaign in October.

They also expect it to help subsidise some of their world championship campaign in the Netherlands and the Australian nationals in four weeks.

New Zealand gymnastics team to Delhi:

Men's Artistic

Misha Koudinov (North Harbour), Matt Palmer (Christchurch), Patrick Peng (Auckland), Mark Holyoake (Auckland), Brandon Field (Auckland).

Women's Artistic

Holly Moon (Christchurch), Lani Hohepa (Christchurch), Jordan Rae (Counties-Manukau), Briana Mitchell (North Harbour),

Rhythmic

Keziah Oliver (Christchurch), Kimberley Robson (Christchurch), Mereana Rademekers (Christchurch).