Cayman Islands gymnast Lloyd makes history at Youth Olympics

Morgan Lloyd, Cayman Islands

NANJING, China - As the first gymnast from Cayman Islands to compete internationally, Morgan Lloyd is making history for her NOC, one flip at a time.

"It's really cool and inspiring to the other gymnasts below me," said Lloyd of her participation in the women's artistic gymnastics qualifications at the Nanjing Youth Olympics on Monday.

Lloyd earned her berth to the Games through her performance at the 2014 junior Pan American championships in Aracaju, Brazil, in March. There, she also set a national and personal record of 39.334 points.

The 15-year old improved that record on Monday by scoring 41.250 points.

Whereas many international-level gymnasts train more than 30 hours per week, Lloyd estimates she is in the gym "20-something" hours per week.

Adriana Forde, who coaches Lloyd, said Lloyd's performance at Nanjing 2014 is a success in its own right.

"It's a huge challenge to come out here and hit four good routines," Forde said. "For Morgan to get another personal best every time she's on the international floor is a really big deal. We're so proud she can come out here and smile and enjoy herself, and do her routines to a level she is happy with."

Lloyd said she was pleased that her mental preparation produced satisfactory performances in Nanjing.

"I visualized four good routines," she said. "I need to work on my bars, but I was happy about the rest of them."