Talented gymnast and Xaverian student, Finlay Hazelton, secured his second Irish National Series Junior Championship title, scoring a personal best of 74.05 points, which exceeds the minimum individual score required to qualify for the Junior European Championships in Croatia in August this year.
Finlay, who is currently in Year 12 and following A Levels in Law, English Language and Psychology at Xaverian, is combining academic study with a rigorous training and competition schedule to achieve his ambition of representing Ireland in the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, USA.
Finlay’s Olympic ambitions started when he was only seven years old when he represented Ireland in the ‘Olympic Start Squad’. He then moved to Manchester where he competed for a few years before joining the Irish National Squad in late 2024. Finlay commented: “Originally, I started doing gymnastics because my parents could not stay at home with me during the summer, so I joined a gymnastics summer camp. One of the coaches mentioned to my dad that she had seen a lot of potential in me and suggested that I go to a gymnastics club and do a try-out. My dad was also a gymnast before me and so I grew up watching gymnastics on TV and, from then on, I decided I wanted to give it a try too.”
Prior to Finlay’s recent success in the National Series competition, he was also selected to be a member of the team who went to the European Youth Olympic Festival in Macedonia to represent Ireland in July 2025. In talking about his future ambitions, Finlay said: “I’ve loved representing Ireland and competing in major events and my recent success at the National Series has resulted in me being selected for the Junior European Championships in August. My hopes for the future are that I can continue my gymnastics and qualify for the major competitions and, in the near future, make the European team and possibly a European final. My dream is to compete in the 2028 Olympics and I hope that, with the Irish Olympic Committee’s help, this is achievable.”
Pastoral Manager at Xaverian, Ged Marciniak, who supported Finlay to fit his training commitments around his weekly timetable, said: “Xaverian supports students who have significant sporting commitments outside of their studies by ensuring they can commit to training and take part in competitions. Students are also offered extra support to ensure they don’t fall behind with their studies. Finlay is in a strong position to devote the time he needs to his studies, on timetable and in private study to be successful at college, and to fulfil his potential in gymnastics. We are sure he will go on to have huge success in the sport for Ireland in the future and we wish him the best of luck in the European Championships.”
Finlay spoke of his Xaverian experience by saying: “I really like all three of my Xaverian subjects, but my favourite is probably law and learning about the different cases because I find them really interesting. However, I do also really like the creative side of English language and the coursework we have to do where I get to write articles. I feel being at Xaverian has allowed me to pursue this dream whilst also continuing my academic study, so I feel very happy I chose to come to the college.”