Ethan grew up playing rugby league. He is now a world champion tumbler

3 months ago 18

In the moments before Ethan McGuinness was expected to launch into a series of upside-down flips and twists at the tumbling world championships, blood was gushing out of his nose.

The nose bleeds the 24-year-old suffered as a child have returned, and no doctor has found a way to stop them. While they make sporadic appearances during training, they’ve become a certainty in competitions – including during the finals of the sport’s most important competition.

Ethan McGuinness celebrates his final tumbling pass in Navarra Arena, with a certain facial accessory.

“I put tissue in my nose in the warm-up and I went through about four tissues because the blood was just dripping through,” he said. “I had ice on my face, on my nose, [I was] pinching my nose in the times when I was just standing on the side, but it just wouldn’t stop this time. Usually, it will settle down after a while in the competition, but this time it was really bad.”

On the competition floor in Pamplona, Spain, four competitors remained and McGuinness was on to his fifth nostril-size roll of tissue. He’d entered the world championships this month without expecting to win due to a myriad of other injuries, including tendinitis and a small tear in his shoulder, but now his biggest concern was also the most familiar.

As a non-Olympic sport, the world titles are the highest level of competition in tumbling, and though McGuinness had claimed a title in Bulgaria in 2022, this time he’d hoped for a bronze medal at best.

Breathing out of one nostril and feeling lightheaded from his previous tumbles with a bleeding nose, McGuinness left his coach at the start of the red tumble track and launched into a series he knew he could execute.

“I went for it, landed it securely and then won,” he said.

The tissue stayed firmly up his nose while he waved to the crowd.

“To be crowned the world champion, meaning I was best on the day and in the world at the moment, is something I wish everyone could experience once in their life,” he said.

McGuinness’ career began at eight years of age when he wanted to add a backflip to his try celebrations during weekend rugby league matches.

His mum saw an ad in the paper and signed him up for lessons at a gym in Sydney’s western suburbs. Showing early promise, he was asked to amp up training to 30 hours a week and had to decide between his great love and tumbling.

“I love footy and my dad’s all about footy as well … I know he was devastated I gave the footy boots up for a leotard,” McGuinness said, laughing. “We’re all very, very happy I made that decision now.”

McGuinness funds his competition costs, including paying for the Australian tracksuit he wore to accept his gold medal. It’s partly why he’s considering a switch to gymnastics.

“I want to see if I can maybe make a push for [Los Angeles 2028] on the floor exercise,” he said. “Not stop the tumbling because that’s what got me here and that’s my passion, but at the end of the day, I want to be an Olympian and maybe get some funding.”