CORRECTION Laura Murphy and not Leila Wadson suffered a fall on the balance beam during the Bermuda Triangle Challenge gymnastics meet on the weekend.

Three of the Island's top gymnasts expect to achieve their dream of representing their country at September's Commonwealth Games following fine performances in the Bermuda Triangle Challenge which ended yesterday.

Level 10 performers Laura Murphy and Jenny Wright and Leila Wadson, competing at Level Nine, are believed to have met the qualifying standard for the Games and, subject to Bermuda Olympic Association approval, will be on the plane to Malaysia.

Wadson placed ninth overall out of 13 girls in her category, making the finals of the balance beam discipline.

Murphy, 16, who plans to go to the UK to train with the British national coach following the Games, finished 12th out of 22, one place ahead of team-mate Wright, a 22-year-old University of Maryland student. Bermuda national coach Walid Mustafa was delighted by the performances -- especially that of Wadson, who had comeback from a serious hand injury she suffered last September.

"This was a dream meet for Leila. I could not have asked for anything better,'' he said.

"It's a difficult thing to get back on a piece of wood four inches wide after you've been hurt. Once bitten, it's hard to trust that it won't happen again.'' Wadson did have a tumble off the beam and "if she had stayed on she would have won, so that smarted a bit,'' Mustafa said.

Elsewhere, Maria Darby and Sasha Christensen struggled following their move up into Level Nine, finishing 14th and 15th respectively in their age group.

"You've got to expect to take some licks when you move up a level. They have to pay their dues,'' said Mustafa. At Level Eight, Kristin Shrubb was the top placed of five Bermudian competitors, finishing ninth out of 18 with Alexander Froncioni a fraction of a point behind in 13th.

But what impressed Mustafa most was the way that they supported each other.

"They were not paying attention to beating each other, but cheering each other on. That's the true spirit of gymnastics and shows the maturity level of the girls.'' At Level Seven, Shauntiah Rawlins, making her meet debut, came 16th out of 17 overall but showed her promise by placing 10th in the floor event and 13th on the vault.

More than 200 gymnasts in all took part in the three-day event at the Southampton Princess. But more than any individuals it was the sport and the Island itself that were the winners.

So impressed were the 13 participating teams from the US, Canada and England that they have already got their reservations in to repeat the experience next February.

"This is the best meet I've been to and from the participants, the coaches especially, and the parents all we got was praise,'' said Mustafa.

MARK OF ABILITY -- US Olympic medallist Dominique Dawes visited the Bermuda Triangle Challenge gymnastics meet yesterday, signing autograph and passing on words of encouragement to participants.