Australian gymnastics star Tyson Bull has underscored his Commonwealth Games gold-medal claims with a breakthrough win in Europe.
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The 29-year-old Victorian won the horizontal bar at the Challenge Cup event in Slovenia - his first medal at a Challenge Cup or World Cup.
Last year, Bull was the first Australian to make an Olympic men's artistic gymnastics final when he finished fifth in the horizontal bar.
He then had an extended break, relocating from Canberra to Melbourne, and returned to international competition at the Challenge Cup round earlier this month in Croatia, making the finals in the horizontal and parallel bars events
Bull scored 14.40 at the Koper event, just shy of the 14.433 he posted in the qualifying round at the Tokyo Games.
"It's a big step for Tyson, getting ready for Commonwealth Games," national men's coach John Curtin said.
"It puts him in a good place."
His winning score in Slovenia would have been the second-highest score at World Cup rounds since February this year, and is also the best score among the most recent Challenge Cups.
Bull will make his Commonwealth Games debut in Birmingham, one of 13 Australian gymnasts whose selections were announced on Monday.
Georgia Godwin is competing at her second Games after after winning individual all-round silver on the Gold Coast, while Emily Whitehead took bronze in the vault.
They were also in the all-round team that won bronze at the 2018 Games.
Rhythmic gymnast Alexandra Kiroi-Bogatyreva returns after winning bronze in the artistic team all-round, while Mitchell Morgans was fifth in the men's artistic teams competition.
The rest of the team are Commonwealth Games debutants, with rhythmic gymnast Lidiia Iakovleva the youngest at 18.
Romi Brown, Kate McDonald and Breanna Scott will compete in women's artistic alongside Godwin and Whitehead.
Joining Morgan and Bull in the men's artistic competition will be James Bacueti, Clay Mason Stephens and Jesse Moore.
Ashari Gill is also in the rhythmic gymnastics team.
TEAM:
Women's artistic: Romi Brown, Georgia Godwin, Kate McDonald, Breanna Scott, Emily Whitehead.
Men's artistic: James Bacueti, Tyson Bull, Clay Mason Stephens, Jesse Moore, Mitchell Morgans.
Rhythmic: Ashari Gill, Lidiia Iakovleva, Alexandra Kiroi-Bogatyreva.
Australian Associated Press
