Gymnasts Tyson Bull and Mitch Morgans making the most of Tokyo Olympics delay

His bid for gold at the Artistic World Cup came to an abrupt end in Azerbaijan, with the gymnastics competition being cancelled midway through.

But that was the least of the gymnast's worries. On that March 13 night, Bull and his teammates were racing the clock to beat Australia's border closure.

"That was an experience. I'd made it to finals and then everybody in our hotel room was freaking out, trying to get onto flights as soon as they could," Bull said.

"[Some athletes'] home countries weren't letting anyone in. The competition was cancelled and we needed to get back to Australia before the Sunday night deadline. It was a rushed, crazy experience that's for sure.

"At that point, I immediately lowered my expectations of anything happening for the rest of the year. I'm pretty sure a week later, the Tokyo Olympics was delayed. I wasn't too surprised, the writing was on the wall so to speak. It was a bit crushing for a while."

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Bull returned to Canberra and has since continued his Olympic preparations at the AIS, having already secured his quota spot in the horizontal bar event.

The Victorian qualified through last year's Artistic World Championships in Germany, finishing seventh overall despite having a fall.

The fact the Games have been cancelled this year gives Bull extra motivation to close the gap between his more-fancied rivals.

While most would shudder at the prospect of extending a four-year training cycle by an extra 12 months, 27-year-old Bull is relishing the chance to try new skills and combinations.

"I would have loved for [the Olympics] to go ahead this year, but at the same time I'm using this extra year as an opportunity to close the gap between where I was at worlds and where I want to be - on the podium in Tokyo," Bull said.

"I was seventh with a mistake at worlds, so definitely in the mix if I up my difficulty.

"Right now, the period is to get all my skills and routine set at a level where I'll be pushing for medals. Potentially having two routines, one for qualification and one for finals which is a little bit riskier and harder.

"Just trying to consolidate those and staying healthy, keep working the mental side as well as the physical."

As the clock ticks towards Tokyo, there's still uncertainty about what the international gymnastics schedule may look like next year.

Athletes are eagerly awaiting dates for the World Cup series and Continental Championships, where Mitch Morgans is hoping to earn qualification.

Morgans competed at the 2018 Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast and is hoping to take an Olympic-sized step in Japan.

He's currently placed fifth at the World Cup on the parallel bars and is a chance to qualify for his first Olympics.

"It's a confusing eight months because nothing is set in stone yet. There'll be a Continental Championships in June but they're just not sure on the date," Morgans said.

"From now until then, it's learning new skills and honing into those routines - making sure I can put new skills into that routine and making it consistent.

"The COVID [break] has been good for me, 2019 was a year of travel and competing, so it was really hard to put new skills in. During this time, I've been able to work on new skills and try to upgrade my routines. I definitely want to put some new things in, just to pump up my score."

The Olympic hopefuls both coach at Gungahlin Gymnastics and helped the club stay connected with its members during the coronavirus-forced shutdown.

Morgans took training online and did virtual sessions with an adults class. He also made skills and workout videos in his garage to help members stay fit while away from the gym.

Gungahlin Gymnastics has about 1400 members, from infants to seniors aged 60. Select classes returned in mid-June and the club reopened its doors to everyone in school term three, with director Megan Moss grateful for the community's support.

"We were overwhelmed with the support we received from our members and their families," she said.

"The pandemic hasn't changed our perspective on how important a strong and positive club environment is. However, it definitely reinforced that the values we hold and demonstrate are critical to our success and that we are on the right track."