Archive: 2009
Back to the News Archive IndexDECEMBER 21 - GARDINER TOP PLACING NON-RUSSIAN AT VORONIN CUP
Madeline Gardiner of Cambridge Kips placed 10th AA at the Voronin Cup in Moscow, Russia. Russian gymnasts dominated the competition, with Gardiner the top placing non-Russian.Teammate Victoria Moors placed 15th AA.
Results: http://www.sportgymrus.ru/Admin/GetFile.ashx?get=1&id=1517
DECEMBER 17 - ELFI SCHLEGEL CARRIES 2010 OLYMPIC TORCH
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Canadian great Elfi Schlegel took part in the Vancouver 2010 torch relay today, in Markham, Ontario.
The 1978 Commonwealth Games all-around champion, Schlegel was a member of Canada's 1980 Olympic gymnastics team. Unfortunately, Schlegel and her teammates were robbed of their opportunity to compete in Moscow, with Canada joining many Western nations in boycotting the Games. That same year she won a medal in World Cup competition.
Schlegel continued her gymnastics at the University of Florida, and today is one of NBC's lead commentators for gymnastics. Elfi and her sister own Schlegel's Gymnastics.
DECEMBER 13 - VACULIK CLAIMS BARS AND FLOOR AT ELITE CANADA
Kristina Vaculik proved to be the most dominant gymnast today as Elite Canada wrapped up with the apparatus finals. Vaculik claimed gold on both bars and floor, sharing the latter with newly crowned Elite Canada all-around champ Dominique Pegg. Not surprisingly, vault was won by Brittany Rogers, who debuted a double twisting Yurchenko at World Championships in October. Madeline Gardiner claimed the beam title.
In the junior women's field, Briannah Tsang claimed the title on both vault and floor. Newly crowned junior Elite Canada champ Riley Cholod claimed the victory on beam, and Stefanie Merkle topped the field on floor.
DECEMBER 13 - TOYOTA CUP CONCLUDES
Sunday saw the close of the Toyota Cup in Japan, with the second day of apparatus finals. Ken Ikeda competed a full program today, finishing fifth on vault (15.012), 11th on parallel bars (12.550), and 6th on high bar (14.075). The host nation dominated today, winning five of nine medals including golds on vault (Eiichi Sekiguchi) and high bar (Takuya Nakase).
DECEMBER 12 - LUKENCHUK PLACES 12TH AT LIUKIN INVITATIONAL
Jayd Lukenchuk led the Canadian contingent at today's Liukin Invitational, placing 12th AA. Hugh Smith finished 16th AA, with Jason placing 29th.
DECEMBER 12 - IKEDA 5TH ON POMMELS AT TOYOTA CUP
Ken Ikeda placed fifth today on pommels at the Toyota Cup in Japan. China's Zhang Hongtao won the apparatus, with Prashanth Sellathurai (AUS) and Krisztian Berki (HUN) finishing second and third, respectively.
| Pommel Horse Final | D Panel | E Panel | ND | Score | |
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| 1. | Zhang Hongtao | 6.6 | 9.650 | 16.250 | |
| 2. | Prashanth Sellathurai | 6.7 | 9.200 | 15.900 | |
| 3. | Krisztian Berki | 6.6 | 8.800 | 15.400 | |
| 4. | Sebastian Krimmer | 5.8 | 9.050 | 14.850 | |
| 5. | Ken Ikeda | 5.9 | 8.650 | 14.550 | |
| 6. | Kamil Hulboj | 5.2 | 8.850 | 14.050 | |
| 7. | Kohei Uchimura | 6.3 | 7.475 | 13.775 | |
DECEMBER 12 - CHOLOD WINS JUNIOR ELITE CANADA
Riley Cholod of Gemini Gymnastics convincingly won the junior all-around title at today's Elite Canada, almost two full points ahead of Oakville's Bianca Jordaan. Third went to Briannah Tsang of Omega Gymnastics.
Results: http://gym-score-depot.ca/elite_canada_2009_wag/day1_junior.pdf
Videos: http://www.youtube.com/user/danafan1
DECEMBER 11 - PEGG WINS ELITE CANADA
Dominique Pegg took top honours at today's Elite Canada in Oakville, Ontario. The win caps off a remarkable comeback year for Pegg, who returned to competition at the 2009 Canadian National Championships after only limited training following a foot injury. She finished third at those Championships. In September she competed at the prestigious 2009 Japan Junior International, narrowly missing a bronze on floor. Last month she won two medals at the 2009 Junior Pan Am Championships.
Kristina Vaculik, who has two senior Elite Canada titles under her belt, picked up the silver today. This was a successful comeback to national competition for Vaculik, following a long rehab on an elbow injury sustained while attempting to qualify to the 2008 Olympics. Vaculik goes into the 2010 season with a new floor routine.
Bronze went to Charlotte Mackie, who competed in her first World Championships in late October. Mackie, who moved with coach David Kenwright and teammates from Surrey Gymnastics to Club Aviva, is qualified to all four apparatus finals Sunday.
Fourth place went to Brittany Rogers, Canada's highest finisher at the recent World Championships. Rogers topped the field on vault, but struggled to place higher than 8th on the remaining apparatus.
Fifth place went to 2008 Olympic veteran Nansy Damianova, also returning to national competition following a long break.
Results: http://gym-score-depot.ca/elite_canada_2009_wag/day1_senior.pdf
Videos: http://www.youtube.com/user/danafan1
NOVEMBER 15 - TORONTO TO HOST 2015 PAN AM GAMES
Toronto easily won today's competition for host city of the 2015 Pan Am Games. Gymnastics is scheduled to be held at the Ricoh Coliseum. http://www.toronto2015.org/lang/en/about/venue_plan
NOVEMBER 14 - KLARENBACH PLACES 5TH ON VAULT AT DTB CUP
Kristin Klarenbach came close to a medal today at the 2009 DTB Cup, in Stuttgart, Germany. Klarenbach was the first reserve after qualifications and was called to compete after Belgium's Aajge van Walleghem withdrew with the flu. "We know that there is always a possibility of someone withdrawing after qualifications...we told Kristin to get ready to compete and be ready to face a last minute substitution. And that's exact what happened," Kristin's coach Valérie Oudin recalled.
Kristin scored an average 13.412, improving her score from qualification and finishing a mere .313 from a medal. "She competed her new vault [Yurchenko layout 1/2] for a second time and under much more pressure than qualification, making her performance that much more satisfying. She had been a little disappointed after Day #1, so she wasn't going to let this opportunity slide by," related Valérie Oudin.
"This is a very good step in the right direction for Kristin. Although I stayed back in Edmonton for this one, I can just picture Kristin's level of energy and adrenaline on this event, her favorite. It was a bad day for the beat-board ! My other athletes had been on Facebook with Kristin and they told me that she was starting to feel better from that Flu and cold she had all last week. I am proud of her for seizing the opportunity and making her World Cup debut a good one," said Michel Arsenault from Edmonton.
Next up for Klarenbach is Elite Canada, scheduled for Oakville, ON the weekend of December 10-13.
Watch Kristin's vaults from Stuttgart!
NOVEMBER 9 - PEGG AND UNICK MEDAL AT JUNIOR PAN AMS
Canada picked up two bronze medals in the apparatus finals today, at the 2009 Junior Pan Ams in Aracaju, Brazil. Dominique Pegg won a bronze medal in the vault final, and Anysia Unick matched the result with a bronze on bars. Pegg also finished 8th on beam and fourth on floor. Unick rounded out her competition placing 6th on vault and bars, and 5th on floor.
In the men's field,Jaylan Birl finished 5th on floor, 8th on rings, and 6th on vault. Robert Watson finished 7th on floor, 6th on rings, and 5th on high bar. Ian Galvan finished 8th on vault and rings, and Tariq Dowers (originally a reserve) finished 8th on pommels.
Results:
Women's
results from Junior Pan Ams
Men's
results from Junior Pan Ams
NOVEMBER 7 - CANADA WINS TEAM SILVER AT JUNIOR PAN AMS
A strong trio of Canadians led by Junior Pan Am veteran Dominique Pegg won the silver medal in today's team event at the Junior Pan Ams in Aracaju, Brazil. The USA dominated the competition, finishing with team gold and sweeping the all-around podium. Bronze went to the home team, Brazil.
Individually, Pegg finished 6th AA and has qualified to the vault, beam and floor exercises. She won vault at the previous Junior Pan Ams. Anysia Unick placed 7th AA and has qualified to all four event apparatus. Rounding out the team was Madeline Gardiner, who finished in 11th position.
In previous competition Canada's men's team (Robert Watson, Ian Galvan, Jaylan Birl, Tariq Dowers) finished fourth, just missing the podium. Watson ranked 8th in the AA, with Birl 9th AA. All four continue to the apparatus finals: Watson (rings, floor, and high bar), Birl (floor and vault finals), Galvan (rings and vault), and Dowers (pommels).
Perhaps most importantly from these Games, Canada qualified spots in both the men's and women's competitions at the inaugural Youth Olympics, scheduled for Singapore 2010.
Results:
Women's
results from Junior Pan Ams
Men's
results from Junior Pan Ams
NOVEMBER 6 - OSIJEK WORLD CUP
Cynthia Lemieux and Laurie-Eve Pepin-Gagne competed in the apparatus finals at a World Cup event today in Osijek, Croatia. Lemieux finished 8th on vault, and scratched from the bar final (she'd qualified in 8th place). Pepin-Gagne, who qualified in second position, faltered in the final and finished in 8th.
NOVEMBER 3 - ADAM WONG RETIRES
Two-time Olympian Adam Wong announced his retirement today. In addition to his performances in Athens (2004) and Beijing (2008), Adam turned in golden performances at the 2006 Commonwealth Games (team, floor). At the 2006 World Championships he and his teammates turned in Canada's best ever team effort, finishing fourth in prelims and sixth in team finals. Individually he ranked 9th all-around - Canada's best ever finish in the all-around.
Wong missed most of the 2007 season, rehabbing a torn Achilles suffered while training floor in Greece. He returned to competition in 2008 winning his seventh Canadian Nationals title (third as a senior) and finished 15th in the all-around at the Beijing Olympics. Much of his time following these recent Olympics were spent focusing on his academics, and he recently competed a Bachelor's in Engineering.
Wong's last competition was the 2009 Canadian Nationals, where he competed (and medalled) on the two events he competed: 2nd FX, 3rd PH. He tells Alberta Gymnastics that it's time he focused on his professional goals:
After much deliberation, I have decided to realize and put focus towards my professional goals outside of the sport. After reviewing the 2010 schedule, it is clear that I will not be able to dedicate myself to the men’s national team in a capacity I personally deem acceptable, while simultaneously pursuing my professional and personal ambitions.
It was a genuine pleasure and true honor to represent the Canadian team for so many years. The opportunities I have been afforded can be classified as nothing other than once-in-a-lifetime, and I will always cherish these moments. To have been able to work with so many skilled athletes and coaches is a luxury that I have not taken for granted. Gymnastics Canada has expressed nothing but support and encouragement towards my coaches, family, and myself throughout my career; statements that reflect an exemplary association, one that I was never less than proud to represent. I will undoubtedly miss many aspects of the sport, and this decision was by no means an easy one to make.
Good luck, Adam...and thank you!
NOVEMBER 3 - COMPETITION GETS UNDERWAY IN BRAZIL
The 2009 Junior Pan Am Games begin this week in Brazil. Canada is fielding a strong team consisting of Anysia Unick, Dominique Pegg, Rochelle Hurt, and Madeleine Gardiner. The foursome represented Canada in the junior portion of the Gymnix event held earlier this year.
This year's Junior Pan Ams holds newfound significance, with the top all-arounders qualifying spots for their country at next year's inaugural Youth Olympic Games in Singapore. Only WAG born in 1995 are eligible to compete at next year's Youth Olympic Games, and the top six 1995-born athletes after taking into account one per country, qualify to the Youth Olympic Games from these Junior Pan Ams. Gardiner and Hurt are both born in 1995, so are vying to earn a spot for Canada.
NOVEMBER 1 - LEMIEUX, SANDY FINISH 11th AT SWISS CUP
Canada's Cynthia Lemieux and Casey Sandy competed today at the Swiss Cup, a mixed pairs event. Teams are cut after the second and third rotations, with the top teams battling it out in rotation four for top honours.
Team Canada finished 11th, their competition ending after the second rotation. The two German teams (Kim Bui/Mattias Fahrig, Elisabeth Seitz/Thomas Taranu) topped the podium, with the Swiss home team (Ariella Kaeslin, Nikki Boschenstein) finishing third.
Lemieux's European competition is not yet over; She competes Friday in Croatia at a World Cup event.
Full Results: http://www.swiss-cup.ch/fileadmin/user_upload/swisscupch/dokumente/ranglisten/Rangliste_Swisscup_2009.pdf
OCTOBER 30 - CANADA FINISHES SECOND AT COMBS LA VILLE
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Team Canada (Bianca Dancose-Giambattisto, Coralie Leblond-Chartrand, and Briannah Tsang) placed second at today's Tournoi International de Gymnastique a Combs la Ville. Top honours went to Australia, with the team from Dijon, France finishing third.
Dancose-Giambattisto also earned three individual medals, placing second overall, first on beam, and second on bars. Leblond-Chartrand, who finished fifth in the all-around, earned a bronze on vault.
A number of videos are available on you tube.
Equipe
1 106,200 Australie
2 104,950 Canada
3 103,750 pôle Dijon
4 100,900 France Junior
5 98,600 Suisse 1
6 94,350 Hongrie
7 93,100 Meaux
8 92,95à Suisse 2
9 84,350 Combs la Ville
Individuel (partial)
1 53,650 ZOLOTARYOVA Natalia Pôle DIJON
2 52.950 DANCOSE-GIAMBATTISTO Bianca CANADA
3 52,150 GREELEY Britt AUSTRALIE
4 51,400 LITTLE Emily AUSTRALIE
5 50,650 LEBLOND-CHARTRAND Coralie CANADA
6 50,400 TÓTH Renata HONGRIE
7 50,150 ORIVELLE Aurélie FRANCE
8 50,050 SERSERI Sophia FRANCE
9 50,000 KUHM Anne Pôle DIJON
Apparatus Finals
VT : 1- Catanzaro, 2- Little, 3- Leblond-Chartrand
UB : 1- Zolotaryova, 2- Biancose-Giambattisto,
3- Catanzaro
BB : 1- Biancose-Giambattisto, 2- Della
Vedova, 3- Little
FX : 1- Toth, 2- Orivelle, 3- Catanzaro
OCTOBER 28 - LEMIEUX, SANDY COMPETE AT ARTHUR GANDER
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Canada's Cynthia Lemieux and Casey Sandy finished 5th and 13th, respectively, in the all-around at today's 2009 Arthur Gander Memorial. The competition features a unique format, with gymnasts competing only on their best events. The women are asked to compete only on their top 3 events, and the men compete only their top 4 events.
Swiss star Ariella Kaeslin won the meet, with Romanian Diana Chelaru finishing second and Russia's Ksenia Semyonova finishing third. On the men's side, Romanian's Marian Dragulescu took top honours, with Jeffrey Wammes of the Netherlands placing second, and Bulgarian Jordan Jovtchev rounding out the podium.
Video: Lemieux
on beam
Full results: http://www.gymmorges.ch/MemorialGander/images/files/results2009/ResultatsGander09.pdf
OCTOBER 27 - CANADA FIELDS STRONG CONTINGENT TO DTB CUP AND SWISS MEETS
The FIG released the nominative entries for the upcoming 2009 DTB Cup, scheduled for November 13-15 in Stuttgart, Germany. Scheduled to represent Canada are Nathan Gafuik, Brandon O'Neill, Jayd Lukenchuk, and Kristin Klarenbach. For three of these athletes, the trip marks a quick return across the Atlantic following recent competition (Gafuik and O'Neill competed two weeks ago at the World Championships and Klarenbach competed this past weekend at the Rushmoor Rosebowl).
Tomorrow, Canadians Casey Sandy and Cynthia Lemieux compete at the Arthur Gander Memorial. On November they compete together at the Swiss Cup, a mixed pairs event.
OCTOBER 26 - WATSON BREAKS US DOMINANCE AT USA-GER-CAN
Canada's Robert Watson tied for gold today at a friendly tri-nations match for junior MAG in Colorado Springs, site of the U.S. Olympic Training Center. The USA dominated the team and all-around results, and looked to be on track to sweep the apparatus finals until Robert Watson tied Sam Mikulak (USA) for the top score on high bar.
OCTOBER 25 - KLARENBACH WINS AT RUSHMOOR ROSEBOWL
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Kristin Klarenbach turned in Canada's most successful performance at this weekend's Rushmoor Rosebowl in Aldershot, England, winning bronze in the all-around and medalling in two apparatus finals (2nd V, 1st BB). She also finished 9th on bars and tied for 7th on floor. Klarenbach and Australia's Emma Collister were the only two athletes to qualify to all four apparatus finals.
Recovering from elbow surgery following the 2009 Canadian National Championships, teammate Miranda Meyer competed only one one apparatus this weekend, finishing 6th on beam. Also recovering from the same elbow injury, Emma Willis of Bluewater tied for 7th on floor.
Klarenbach, Meyer, and their teammates from Champions were also on hand in London to cheer on team Canada at the recent 2009 World Championships.
OCTOBER 17 - ROGERS VAULTS TO 7th
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Brittany Rogers notched an important first for Canadian women's gymnastics today. Competing in the vault apparatus finals she successfully competed a double twisting Yurchenko. Rogers reported that it's a vault she's been training for a couple of years, but had never felt comfortable competing. A chance in the apparatus finals apparently made the difference! ?I didn?t really care how I landed it, it was good that I finally got the courage to do it,? Rogers told Gymnastics Canada. ?Just to finally be able get my nerve up to do it is an accomplishment in itself."
Despite upgrading her vault, Rogers retained a 7th place position in vault. Kayla Williams (USA) topped the podium, with Ariella Kaeslin (SUI) finishing second, and Youna Dufournet (FRA) finishing third.
OCTOBER 16 - ROGERS FINISHES 19th AA AT WORLDS
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Brittany Rogers finished 19th in today's women's all-around competition. Rogers got off to a rough start, falling on her first apparatus - the beam. She regrouped and delivered strong performances on floor, vault, and bars.
Americans Bridget Sloan and Rebecca Bross placed 1-2 in the event, with Koko Tsurumi rounding out the podium.
OCTOBER 14 - 2009 WORLDS WOMEN'S PRELIMS
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Brittany Rogers turned in Canada's best results at these
Championships in today's prelims, qualifying to the all-around in 18th place
and vault final in 7th position. Very few Canadians have qualified to an
apparatus final at World Championships. Past Canadian greats on the women's
side include Larissa Lowing (8th V 1989 WCh), Stella Umeh (8th V & 5th BB
1992 WCh, 8th FX 1993 WCh), Yvonne Tousek (8th FX 1999 WCh), and Elyse
Hopfner-Hibbs (3rd 2006 WCh). Rogers attributed the strong performance to
keeping her nerves at bay, and feeding off the audience. "This
has just topped everything I've ever done," Rogers told Gymnastics
Canada. "It's been my ultimate goal to compete at the world
championships and even if I didn't make any finals, I competed as best as I
could and nailed it."
Charlotte Mackie and Sydney Sawa also competed in today's qualifications, placing 28th and 33rd, respectively.
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OCTOBER 13 - 2009 WORLDS MEN'S PRELIMS
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Canada's men braved a long day of qualifications today at the 2009 World Championships in London, England.
First up was Jackson Payne, an all-arounder for Canada whose qualification was spread out between the first and third (final) subdivisions. In the morning he competed p-bars, high bar, and floor exercise and at 7pm began the first of his last three apparatus. Jackson performed relatively well in his first World Championships, but unfortunately was short in advancing to the all-around finals (44th).
Kevin Lytwyn debuted in the second subdivision, showing marked improvement on the parallel bars (better extension, cleaner toes). He returned to the competition floor in the evening to compete on his specialty, the high bar.
Originally slated to compete all-around, Nathan Gafuik ran out of time to prepare after breaking his hand two months ago. He competed three apparatus, debuting a new vault (Roche). He didn't the vault to his feet - and confessed that he's yet to! - but that's just a matter of time. A break in rhythm on high bar forced him to jump down, re-chalk, and resume the routine. Floor was going strong until the end, when he skidded on his final tumbling line (triple twist) and was forced to touch his hand to the ground.
O'Neill's first taste of competition didn't come until after 9:30pm today. He competed solely on pbars and floor, the ankle injury from Beijing preventing him from resuming training on vault. O'Neill stood a good chance of qualifying to the floor final, but skidded out of his final tumbling pass, a double Arabian, to land on his seat. Many athletes have been complaining of slippery mats at the venue.
Unfortunately, this marks the end of the World Championships for Canada's men. None qualified to Thursday's all-around or Saturday and Sunday's event finals. The competition begins tomorrow for Charlotte Mackie, Sydney Sawa, and Brittany Rogers.
OCTOBER 12 - 2009 WORLDS WOMEN'S PODIUM TRAINING
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Canada's three women trained on podium yesterday at the 2009 World Championships in London, England. First up for Canada was Charlotte Mackie, competing in her first Worlds. She enjoyed a solid training session, taking the time to get used to the different apparatus (these worlds are using Gymnova equipment, which is a change for our girls). It's great to see Mackie back competing all-around, after taking time out to relearn bars using grips. The routine was a bit laboured, and she sat down her dismount, but it makes a great return for Mackie. With another year or two of steady improvements, she should be prime for Tokyo 2011 and Olympics 2012.
Reigning National Champion and 2007 Worlds team veteran Sydney Sawa competed in the second subdivision. Her participation here was touch 'n go, but she held her place in training and impressed on floor.
Brittany Rogers saw her first taste of podium training in the fourth of five subdivisions. Rogers competed in the Olympic order, starting on vault. She seemed especially eager to advance each rotation, rushing ahead for some extra time on the apparatus before the rest of her rotation. Floor proved a test for energy and concentration, is likely where she'll aim to see the most improvement this week.
The women's competition begins Wednesday at 10am local time.
SEPTEMBER 23 - FIG RELEASES NOMINATIVE ROSTER FOR 2009 WORLDS
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The FIG has released the nominative roster for the upcoming 2009 Worlds in London, England. Three all-arounders are listed for Canada's women's team: Charlotte Mackie, Brittany Rogers, and Sydney Sawa.
The proposed men's team includes four athletes: 2008 Olympic veterans Nathan Gafuik and Brandon O'Neill and first time Worlds competitors Jackson Payne and Kevin Lytwyn. Payne is slated to compete all six apparatus, Gafuik on floor, vault, and high bar, O'Neill on floor and parallel bars, and Lytwyn on parallel bars and high bar.
As a nominative roster, these names and apparatus assignments are subject to change.
SEPTEMBER 23 - LYTWYN A DOUBLE BRONZE MEDALLIST IN JAPAN
Kevin Lytwyn scored two bronze medals (vault, high bar) at the International Japan Junior today in Yokohama, Japan. Jackson Payne also competed in two apparatus finals, placing fifth on floor and sixth on high bar. In the women's division, Dominique Pegg narrowly missed a bronze on floor, finishing fourth with a 13.70. She also finished 7th on beam (12.55).
MAG: http://www.jr-gym.or.jp/compe2009/kokusai/resalt/men-shumoku.pdf
WAG: http://www.jr-gym.or.jp/compe2009/kokusai/resalt/men-shumoku.pdf
SEPTEMBER 22 - PEGG & PAYNE FINISH IN TOP 10 IN JAPAN
Three Canadians competed in today's 2009 International Japan Junior, one of the most prestigious events for juniors. In the women's competition, Dominique Pegg finished 10th AA and qualified to the beam and floor apparatus finals. Jackson Payne finished 9th in the men's, with Kevin Lytwyn competing only three events.
WAG: http://www.jr-gym.or.jp/compe2009/kokusai/resalt/femel-kojin.pdf
MAG: http://www.jr-gym.or.jp/compe2009/kokusai/resalt/men-kojin.pdf
SEPTEMBER 11 - ROGERS AND MACKIE MEDAL IN MINSK
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Competition at the 2009 Scherbo Cup wrapped up yesterday in Minsk, Belarus. Brittany Rogers (53.80) took bronze in Wednesday's All-around with Charlotte Mackie (53.75) placing fourth. Top honours went to Galina Ivanets (55.25), with Anastasia Zaitseva (54.30) finishing second. Both girls are from Belarus.
Rogers and Mackie followed with strong performances in the apparatus finals, placing 1-2 on vault (Rogers won gold, Mackie silver). Mackie also finished third on beam, and Rogers third on floor.
National coach Vladimir Lashin commended the pair on their performances, citing the meet as a successful comeback for Rogers (who's sat out competition since February) and a good opportunity for Mackie to put in a strong all-around performance leading up to Worlds.
The competition comes on the heals of a training camp that both girls attended in Russia. They now return to Canada for last minute preparations in anticipation of next month's World Championships, being held at the O2 venue in London, England (the same venue slated to house the gymnastics competition at the 2012 London Olympics). Also traveling to London for the World Championships is the reigning Canadian National Champion, Sydney Sawa. Injury prevented Sawa from attending the recent training camp and competition in Russia and Belarus.
In the men's competition, Patrick McElroy and Hugh Smith each qualified to one apparatus final. McElroy finished 8th on floor and Hugh Smith 8th on high bar. Smith also finished 8th in the all-around competition, McElroy 19th, and Matt Beiler 21st.
| V 1 Brittany Rogers CAN 14.065 2 Charlotte Mackie CAN 13.850 3 Maksuta Valeria ISR 13.738 4 Sotnikova Alina BLR 13.700 5 Kazantseva Tatiana RUS 13.625 6 Zaitseva Nastia BLR 13.575 7 Gorunova Kristina RUS 13.475 8 Koniuchovaite Anna LTU 12.025 UB 1 Svilpaite Laura LTU 14.525 2 Klukina Svetlana RUS 14.025 3 Pihan BARTA POL 14.000 4 Khaang Liliya BLR 13.525 5 Mokhovtsova Olga BLR 13.375 6 Senn Jennifer SUI 13.350 7 Rabinovich Roni ISR 13.150 8 Stampfli Linda SUI 12.475 BB 1 Gorunova Kristina RUS 14.350 2 Sotnikova Alina BLR 13.900 3 Charlotte Mackie CAN 13.675 4 Jurkovska Katarzyna POL 13.525 5 Maksuta Valeria ISR 13.075 6 Rabinovich Roni ISR 12.950 7 Brittany Rogers CAN 12.925 8 Ivanets Galina BLR 12.050 FX 1 Pihan BARTA POL 13.800 2 Zaitseva Nastia BLR 13.650 3 Brittany Rogers CAN 13.650 4 Charlotte Mackie CAN 13.650 5 Klukina Svetlana RUS 13.325 6 Rabinovich Roni ISR 13.325 7 Maksuta Valeria ISR 13.000 8 Ivanets Galina BLR 11.150
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FX 1 Hauptli Roland SUI 14.750 2 Demchihin Aleksandr BLR 14.375 3 Wegmann Kimon SUI 14.300 4 Kushnerik Aleksei BLR 13.725 5 Izmodenov Jevgenij LTU 13.675 6 Slanvall Bjorn SWE 13.075 7 Foo George SWE 13.050 8 Esaulov Vladislav LTU 11.425 PH 1 Tommason Cyril FRA 15.000 2 Hamilton Sabot FRA 14.875 3 Fokin Anton UZB 13.900 4 Tsarevich Aleksandr BLR 13.800 5 Demchihin Aleksandr BLR 13.100 6 Foo George SWE 12.025 7 Filipov Aleksandr RUS 11.975 8 Patrik McElroy CAN 11.600 SR 1 Aid Said Samir FRA 15.100 2 Fokin Anton UZB 14.800 3 Savitski Dmitri BLR 14.575 4 Ermakov Vladimir BLR 14.575 5 Gisi Roman SUI 14.025 6 Foo George SWE 13.600 7 Stillhal Mirko SUI 13.375 8 Filipov Aleksandr RUS 12.875 V 1 Sapronenko Jevgenius LAT 15.700 2 Wegmann Kimon SUI 15.250 3 Stepanov Sergey RUS 14.513 4 Doronin Aleksandr BLR 14.488 5 Skuratovich Dmitri BLR 14.125 6 Gatiyatov Shamil RUS 13.613 PB 1 Fokin Anton UZB 15.475 2 Tsarevich Aleksandr BLR 15.275 3 Hamilton Sabot FRA 14.975 4 Hauptli Roland SUI 14.125 5 Gisi Roman SUI 14.075 6 Osimov Ravshanbek UZB 13.900 7 Slanvall Bjorn SWE 13.700 8 Toloshko Artyom BLR 13.275 HB 1 Hamilton Sabot FRA 14.675 2 Hauptli Roland SUI 14.375 3 Tsarevich Aleksandr BLR 14.375 4 Gisi Roman SUI 14.300 5 Trefilov Dmitri LAT 14.300 6 Slanvall Bjorn SWE 14.225 7 Gorovets Kiril BLR 13.700 8 Hugh Smith CAN 12.325 |
The Scherbo Cup is named after one of the Soviet's most successful gymnasts, Vitaly Scherbo. Scherbo nearly swept the competition at the 1992 Olympics, winning gold in the team, all-around, and four of six apparatus finals. He now lives in Las Vegas, NV.
SEPTEMBER 5 - CATCHING UP WITH VANESSA MELOCHE
A 7-year veteran of the Canadian National Team, Vanessa Meloche represented Canada in numerous competitions around the World. She enjoyed great success in 2002, winning three bronze medals at the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester, England. Unfortunately, nagging ankle and knee injuries plagued her quests for the 2003 World and 2004 Olympic teams.
A veteran of three clubs (Gym-Richelieu club, Parkettes, and finally Sport Seneca), Meloche capped off her gymnastics career in the NCAA at Nebraska. She was a top bars contributor for Nebraska, scoring a 9.95 career high. Meloche was also a strong contributor to the academic standing of the team; A major in Nutritional Science and Dietetics, she was a three-time member of the Big 12 Commissioner's Honor Roll.
Gymn.ca recently caught up with Meloche, to reflect on her career and find out what she's been doing in and out of the gym.
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On her favourite memories....
My favorite memory from my elite career would be to be able to represent my country all around the world. It was such a big honor and I was proud to be a Canadian. The many hours of training in the gym always paid off and if I were to do it all over again, I wouldn't change it for the world.
My favorite memory from NCAA would be being part of team, it is not like elite. You get to go through so many experiences such as
traveling every weekend, training together, going to school together, hanging out as regular people outside of the gym and really getting that team bonding. I have always been team oriented but I really got to shine at Nebraska. I was hurt most of my NCAA career and being a leader was my job. I made sure the girls were taken cared of and if they needed anything, I was there.
Meloche had NCAA opportunities from Nebraska, UCLA, and California. She
chose to compete as a Husker.
I chose Nebraska because I wanted a place where I would feel home. After my recruiting trip I new it was the school for me. Nebraska became my second family and I still visit the people who helped me mature and become the woman I am today.
[Head coach] Dan Kendig was my glue at Nebraska. He couldn't have taken better care of me. Tom Dufresne, my trainer kept my body and my spirit together throughout the many surgeries and without him I wouldn't be "walking" today. To all of the Staff at Nebraska, the love and
support they gave me was and still is
indescribable. And finally, my church family. They brought me into their home and took care of me like I was part of their family.
Life today....
Right now My husband and I live in California. My husband is in the Marine Corps and has already gone through 2 deployments.
I am currently working as a personal trainer at NCthree gym. I love it because I get to help people achieve their goals. It is such a great feeling.
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| Canada's Meloche at the 2002 Parkettes Invitational Photo courtesy Ruth Judson |
I haven't been involved with gymnastics for a little over 6 months now. Not because I don't want to, but rather because we just recently moved to California and because I will be starting physical therapy school shortly. I spend most of my time at the gym working or working out myself and walking our puppy of 7 months. He is my little guy who keeps me company when James is working or away for training.
I try to go home [to Canada] at least twice a year. While at Nebraska I could only go when I had the time, and only for a short amount of time. Since I graduated I have been able to stay longer
than usual with my family, which is great. They are my world and I wish I could see them more often. I know how difficult it was for them to see me go through 12 surgeries while at Nebraska and not be able to be there to help. But they have been so supportive and I couldn't thank them enough.
July 18th was my husband and I's wedding and I was able to show my family where I had been going to school for the last four years along with the tremendous people I met and supported me through the good and the tougher times. It was such a thrill to have my family in Nebraska, and for me to share that moment with them.
Keeping up with old teammates
The fun part is to be able to keep in touch with former teammates. Unfortunately, it is so hard to to so since we are all living our lives in different states or countries. The gymnast I have been keeping in contact most is Lydia Williams. We talk on the phone every once in a while and try to keep in touch as much as we can. She is a doll.
Of course, Kylie Stone is another former gymnast I do keep in touch as often as possible. She came to Nebraska after me and had the opportunity to compete with her on for 3 years. She is an awesome gymnast and she is doing great. She fits well in the NCAA gymnastics program.
As for other former gymnast, it's been more difficult but facebook has allowed us to keep in touch whenever we can.
Keeping up with Gymnastics Today
I cannot watch enough gymnastics. I DVR [record] all of the competitions that there is and watch them over and over again. It's my passion and I miss it so much.
I wish I could still be doing gymnastics. I even tried thinking of how I could make a come back, but with my body just cannot physically do it anymore. I have had to many significant injuries [e.g., knee] which prevent me from doing what I want to do in my everyday life.
Gymnastics keeps me sane and happy. After I am done with graduate school, I want to get back in the gymnastics community. It's where I belong.
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| Vanessa Meloche and husband
James Tessier Photo courtesy Vanessa Meloche |
AUGUST 19 - SNEAK PEAK AT ROTTERDAM 2010
Most thoughts are on the upcoming World Championships October 13-18 in London, England. Not the Dutch; They have already held their Test Event for next year's Worlds, scheduled for October 18-24, 2010 in Rotterdam. Here's a sneak peak of the venue!Next year's World Championships present a unique challenge for the Commonwealth countries, as the 2010 Commonwealth Games (Delhi, India) are being contested immediately prior to the World Championships, in early October. After the 1996 Olympic Games, age eligibility for FIG competitions was raised to 16. This same change was not applied to the Commonwealth Games, allowing gymnasts as young as 13 (turning 14 by year's end) to compete. Recently, however, the minimum age for Commonwealth Games has been brought in line with FIG guidelines. Without being able to draw upon its juniors, many countries will have a difficult time fielding two strong teams for both events, or a single team that is capable of performing at peak level for both.
Link: 2010 World Championships
AUGUST 6 - CANADA HOSTS BRITISH MEN
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A leading crop of new seniors and junior gymnasts are currently training together in Calgary, alongside some well known names out of British Gymnastics. The group are preparing for the upcoming Worlds Oct. 13-18 in London, England and looking further ahead to the next Olympics. (Both events are being held in London's O2 arena).
Participating at the training camp for Canada are Jackson Payne, Anderson Loran, Jayd Lukenchuk, Kevin Lytwyn, Jason Scott, Max Vacca, and Robert Watson. Headlining Britain's attendees are Daniel Keatings (2nd AA at the 2009 Euros) and Louis Smith (Bronze on Pommels at the 2008 Beijing Olympics).
Next up for team Canada: The men are heading to training camps in Beijing and London, and the women to a training camp/competition in Belarus.
Related link: Jackson Payne motivated by British (IG)
JUNE 28 - KLARENBACH WINS TWO MEDALS IN LUXEMBOURG
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Kristin Klarenbach placed second on beam and third on vault today, at the FL Gym Open in Luxembourg. Coralie Leblond-Chartrand posted her best results on bars (4th) and beam (5th).
Hungary's Dorina Boczogo, who won yesterday's all-around, continued to dominate today winning vault, beam, and floor. Ida Gustafsson managed to break her dominance, claiming the bars title ahead of Boczogo.
I was especially pleased with Kristin's Front-front pike 1/2 turn, which scored 14.15," said coach Michel Arsenault. "Her Yurchenko Layout scored a 13.60, so she ended up in third place on vault. I have to say that I was even doubting that she would end up competing this weekend, because of having been so sick [with a stomach virus] all week. This ended up being such a good experience for her. She learned that she can still medal internationally even though she is sick !"
Yesterday Kristin Klarenbach placed fourth in the all-around. Coach and athlete set two goals for this competition: hit her new vault (Front-front pick 1/2 turn) and new Giant-full on bars. She achieved both, upping her degrees of difficulty on vault (4.6 to 5.0) and bars (up 0.8 points). "I couldn't have asked more from her," said Arsenault. "She was a trooper....This kid has a lot to be proud of herself. She came from not even qualifying to finals as a Junior at last year's Nationals to now being a Senior Canadian National Team member, a Carded athlete and an international medallist. I am very proud of her. Now, she can take a well-deserved rest and attack next season with a lot of confidence."
Full results:
http://gymnasticsresults.com/2009/lux/luxchamp2009wagaaopen.pdf
http://gymnasticsresults.com/2009/lux/luxchamp2009wagef.pdf
JUNE 6 - CANADIAN NATIONALS CONCLUDE
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The 2009 Canadian National Championships wrapped up today in Hamilton, Ontario. On the women's side, two veterans from last quad battled it out for the senior women's all-around title. Sydney Sawa took first place, with Cynthia Lemieux (who led after prelims) placing second. Dominique Pegg took third. Pegg, who resumed training only recently, is not yet age eligible for this year's Worlds. The event finals saw a different champion on each event: Marie-Chantale Lepine (Vault), Sydney Sawa (Bars), Miranda Meyer (Beam), and Kristin Klarenbach (Floor).
In the men's field, three veterans topped the all-around podium: Casey Sandy, Ken Ikeda, and Jared Walls. Ikeda went on to take two golds in the apparatus finals (pommels and parallel bars), making him one of the most successful athletes of these Championships. Fellow Olympians Nathan Gafuik and Brandon O'Neill took the floor and vault titles, respectively. Matt Beiler won rings, and Kevin Lytwyn topped high bar. Lytwyn's win put an exclamation to the final apparatus of these Championships, with many of his friends and family in the audience (he trains in nearby Burlington).
| Seniors:
Women's AA Women's Bars: |
Seniors:
Men's AA: |
In the junior categories, Anysia Unick and Jaylan Birl left Hamilton with the most hardware. Unick won three Golds (all-around, vault, and bars). Jaylan Birl took first in the all-around and floor, second on rings, vault, and high bar.
| Juniors: Women's AA: 1. Anysia Unick 2. Rochelle Hurt 3. Mikaela Gerber Women's Vault: 1. Anysia Unick 2. Paige Blaney 3. Emilie Beaulieu Women's Bars: 1. Anysia Unick 2. Bianca Dancose-Giambattisto 3. Dominique Nadeau Women's Beam: 1. Riley Cholod 2. Rochelle Hurt 3. Ann-Ly Brouillette-Quenneville Women's Floor: 1. Mikaela Gerber 2. Riley Cholod 3. Coralie Leblond-Chartrand |
Juniors:
Men's AA: |
MAY 28 - CANADIAN NATIONALS BEGIN FRIDAY
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The 2009 Canadian National Championships begin tomorrow in Hamilton, Ontario, with the Trampoline and Tumbling and Rhythmic competitions taking center stage this weekend. Artistic gymnastics sees its first action on Tuesday, with the event wrapping up Sunday June 6 with 1.5 hours of live coverage of the apparatus finals on CBC. (The second half of the apparatus finals can be followed live on CBCsports.ca, with a tape delayed show set to air the following Saturday).
Returning from the Olympic squad are Nathan Gafuik, Adam Wong (set to compete only floor and pommels), Ken Ikeda and Brandon O'Neill. O'Neill told IG that he's at "about 70 percent," following a devastating ankle injury sustained during podium training in Beijing. O'Neill will compete all six apparatus at these Nationals.
Casey Sandy is also expected to be a strong contender next week. Sandy recently completed a stellar NCAA career, during which time he was crowned the 2008 NCAA All-Around Champion. Sandy told Gymn.ca that he plans to return to Canada following his final semester at Penn State and focus on elite gymnastics, including a run at the 2012 Olympics. Many considered Sandy a strong contender for a berth on the 2008 Canadian Olympic team. He finished third at last year's Nationals, but was not invited to participate in the Olympic trials procedures. Having missed the previous Elite Canada competition, Sandy was deemed ineligible to participate.
Also focused towards 2012 is a young crop of gymnasts, eyeing the senior ranks. They include last year's Junior National champion, Jackson Payne, Jayd Lukenchuk (overcoming a torn ACL), Kevin Lytwyn, and more.
The senior women's event will see a new National champion crowned this year. None of the four top contenders for berths on last year's Olympic team are competing. Elyse Hopfner-Hibbs and Alyssa Brown recently finished their first seasons in the NCAA (UCLA and Stanford, respectively), Nansy Damianova injured her shoulder shortly after returning the gym following Beijing, and Kristina Vaculik was only recently cleared to resume training after elbow surgery. Look for Brittany Rogers, Charlotte Mackie, Miranda Meyer, Dominique Pegg, and more.
MAY 21 - SHEWFELT LOOKING FORWARD TO BIG PLANS
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Olympic gold medallist Kyle Shewfelt announced his retirement from gymnastics today, in a live press conference carried on CBCSports.ca. Shewfelt's career spanned three Olympic Games, four World Championships, and two Commonwealth Games. He recently national attention when he won Canada's first gold medal of the 2004 Olympic Games (Athens, Greece), a gold on the floor exercise.
Shewfelt's third and final Olympic appearance came last summer at the 2008 Beijing Games. His presence on this team came from incredible perseverance: Intense rehabilitation on two broken legs and multiple torn ligaments, suffered 11 months prior at the 2007 World Championships. It was a journey he says taught him a great deal.
In today's conference, Shewfelt outlined some of his future plans: Guest commentary for CBC at the upcoming 2009 Canadian Nationals from Hamilton, Ambassador for Gymnastics Canada, a TV show being shopped around to various networks promoting Youth in Canada, the opening of Kyle Shewfelt's Golden Gymnastics club (focused on recreational gymnastics), plus an autobiography he says has been years in the making.
Shewfelt ended his announcement in typical Shewfelt-style, sharing, "I literally got to live my dream and it couldn't have been more brilliant."
Links: Kyle's retirement speech/blog, Calgary Herald Tribute, CBC Sports interview, Gymnastics Canada, CBC video excerpt from Shewfelt's retirement speechMAY 17 - MANTRACKER HANDS OUT AWARDS AT LOCAL MEET
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Mantracker (Terry Grant) showed up at the Mountain Shadows Gymnastics Invitational yesterday, to hand out awards.
From Wikipedia:
Mantracker is a Canadian reality TV series that premiered in April 2006 on the Outdoor Life Network...the tagline of the show is: "Know your land. Know your prey."
In the show, two people take off into the bush with a map, a compass and a head start. The tracker is on horseback, armed with a local guide and an arsenal of forensic skills. The prey have 36 hours to reach a finish line some 40 kilometres away without getting caught. How they escape is up to them.
Each episode sees two people, who often have a pre-existing relationship, but not always, form a team referred to as the "Prey." The Prey must travel from the Start to the Finish without getting caught by the "Mantracker." The show always takes place in rough, remote terrain.
Thanks to Rick McCharles for posting this.
MAY 15 - LASHIN APPOINTED NEW NATIONAL TEAM COACH FOR WAG
Gymnastics Canada has chosen its new High Performance Director / National Team coach for women: Vladimir Lashin. Lashin is a graduate from the State central Institute of physical education in Moscow, Russia. After a stint in Australia he moved to Canada, where he's been coaching at Omega Gymnastics in Coquitlam, B.C. He coached Gael Mackie to the 2004 Olympics and 2006 Commonwealth Games.
Lashin will start his new full time duties on June 1st 2009 (on a part basis as of May 19). (Link: press release)
MAY 14 - IAROV APPOINTED TO FIG MEN'S TECHNICAL COMMITTEE
Edouard Iarov, Canada's men's National Coach and High Performance Director, has been appointed to the International Gymnastics Federation's Men's Technical Committee. Earlier in his career, Iarov coached Valerie Liukin to gold medals at the European, World, and Olympic level. (Link: press release)
MAY 14 - SAWA LOOKING TO PEAK IN HAMILTON
2007 World team member Sydney Sawa recently sat down with International Gymnast, reflecting on the past two years and discussing her goals for the upcoming Canadian Championships in Hamilton, ON. Nationals begin June 2 for the women, with the qualifying round of competition. (Link: IG interview).
APRIL 19 - MEYER PLACES 5TH AT MARIBOR
The World Cup circuit continued this weekend, with the Maribor World Cup in
Slovenia. Canada's two entrants each qualified to an apparatus final, with Miranda
Meyer finishing 5th on beam (12.550) and Laurie-Eve Pepin-Gagne
rounding out the bars in 8th (11.775). Meyer enjoyed the highest posted start
value on beam, but a fall on her back tuck kept her from medalling. The event was won by
Russia's Kristina Goryunova with Claudia Ana Silva of Brazil second and Marta
Pihan-Kulesza of Poland rounding out the podium.
A video of Pepin-Gagne's bars can be found on youtube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JW4Vn7JPx9s),
and Meyer's beam
is available for download via Gymn.ca.
APRIL 18 - SANDY FINISHES 7TH ALL AT NCAAS
2003 and 2007 World team member Casey Sandy competed at the 2009 NCAA Championships this weekend, placing 7th all-around. The 2008 all-around NCAA champion, Sandy finished prelims in first place but struggled in the all-around final. (Less than two weeks ago he suffered a sprained toe at the Big Ten Championships). Earlier this week the champion was bestowed with the Nissen-Emery Award.
APRIL 6 - WILD ROSE RETURNS WITH KLARENBACH TAKING SENIOR TITLE
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This past weekend saw the return of the Wild Rose International. The senior women's all-around was won by the host gym's Kristin Klarenbach, who also captured three medals in the apparatus finals (silver on vault, bronze on beam, and gold on floor). Other apparatus winners included Charlotte Mackie (vault), Sydney Sawa (bars), and Miranda Meyer (beam).
The Wild Rose organizers are allocating profits from this and next year's Invitationals towards the 2011 and 2012 editions, with the aim of creating top-notch F.I.G international sessions. Previous editions of the Wild Rose have hosted such greats as Elena Zamolodchikova (RUS), Simona Amanar (RUS), Viktoria Karpenko (UKR), and more.
Stay tuned to Gymn.ca is the coming weeks for videos from the 2009 Wild Rose! A first peak: Miranda Meyer's beam from the apparatus finals. (Please right click and 'save as' to download to your desktop prior to viewing!) Meyer is heading to Slovenia soon to compete in the Maribor World Cup, where she will perform on the vault, beam, and floor.
MARCH 31 - WILD ROSE READIES
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This weekend over 450 female gymnasts from all over North America will converge in Edmonton to compete at the 5th Wild Rose International Women?s Gymnastics Invitational. This event will showcase some of Team Canada?s best female gymnasts, including the host gym's Miranda Meyer. She?ll be joined by three other National Team members, including Charlotte Mackie, Sydney Sawa, and Sky Corbett-Methot.
The competition is being held April 3rd to 5th at the MacEwan Centre for Sports and Wellness. Tickets will be available at the admission tables during the event or you can log onto www.wildrosegymnastics.com for more ticket information. Stay tuned to Gymn.ca is the coming weeks for videos!
MARCH 8 - MORE MEDALS FOR CANADA AT GYMNIX WORLD CUP
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Four medals for Canada in the last day of competition at the Gymnix World Cup! The women's floor exercise saw two Canadians on the podium; Charlotte Mackie earned silver and Sydney Sawa the bronze (American Mattie Larson placed first). Mackie also placed third on beam, after Larson and France's Marine Petit.
In the men's field, Nathan Gafuik brought home his second medal of the weekend, a bronze on vault. Jackson Payne of Canada retained his sixth place position on high bar.
Results are available at GymnasticsResults.com: MAG and WAG.
MARCH 8 - CANADIANS MEDAL AT GYMNIX WORLD CUP
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Canadian Nathan Gafuik took silver on floor (14.550) at yesterday's Gymnix World Cup. He was bested by Romanian Razvan Selariu, who took gold with 14.800 points. Fellow Romanian Marius Berbecar took bronze with 14.525 points.
In the women?s competition, Charlotte Mackie won vault ahead of Puerto Rico's Marie-Carmen Rivera (no others competed), and Sydney Sawa took bronze on bars. Bars was won by American Samantha Shapiro, whose competition has been limited by injury. Second place went to Marine Petit of France.
Results are available at GymnasticsResults.com: MAG and WAG. Competition continues today with the second half of the apparatus finals.
MARCH 7 - WEIBER PULLS HAT TRICK AT GYMNIX JUNIOR CUP; PEGG AND UNICK MEDAL
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American Jordyn Weiber added another four gold medals to her haul today, placing first in every apparatus final. Fellow American Sabrina Vega placed second on three apparatus, bars, beam, and floor exercise. Canadians Dominique Pegg and Anysia Unick scored two medals for Canada: silver on vault (Pegg) and a bronze on beam (Unick).
Full results can be found on the L'International Gymnix website.
MARCH 6 - GAFUIK AND PAYNE QUALIFY TO FINALS AT GYMNIX WORLD CUP
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Canadians Nathan Gafuik and Jackson Payne together qualified to three finals at the inaugural Gymnix World Cup today in Montreal. The competition is Gafuik's second after the 2008 Beijing Olympics, having recently competed at the 2009 Elite Canada. This is the first World Cup event for Jackson Payne, the
Floor: Nathan Gafuik (2nd prelims)
Vault: Nathan Gafuik (6th prelims)
High Bar: Jackson Payne (6th prelims)
Gafuik was expected to qualify to the apparatus finals on high bar, but fell attempting a new move. Kevyn Lytwyn, Canada's third entrant, hyper extended his knee on the first apparatus (floor) and was unable to continue the competition.
With so few women registering for this World Cu (just four countries), it was decided that all entrants would automatically advance to the finals. No qualifications were contested.
Full results can be found at Gymnastics Canada.
MARCH 6 - AMERICANS SWEEP GYMNIX JUNIOR CUP; TEAM CANADA PLACES SECOND
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Today's competition saw the Americans sweep the Gymnix Junior Cup, placing first as a team and placing first through third in the all-around. Newly crowned American Cup champion and reigning U.S. Junior National champion Jordyn Weiber led the group, with Sabrina Vega placing second, and Kamerin Moore placing third. Weiber and Moore train at the same gym, Twisters USA, with coach John Geddert. Vega is coached by former Romanian great Teodora Ungureanu.
The top three Canadians at the Junior Cup were Anysia Unick (4th), Madeline Gardiner (6th), and Dominique Pegg (7th). Together with Rochelle Hurt, the girls placed second in the team competitions, to the Americans. The Russians (Anna Rodionova, Eleonora Goryunova, Julia Belokobylskaya, and Kristina Sidorova) finished third.
Full results can be found on the L'International Gymnix website.
MARCH 5 - GYMNIX BEGINS; GAMELO PLACES THIRD AT INTERNATIONAL CUP
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The annual L'International Gymnix got underway today in Montreal, Quebec. Elizabeth Price of the USA took top honours in the International Cup, with teammate Madeline Hanley taking second. Both girls train at the Parkettes, in Allentown, PA. Bronze went to Canada's Anna Gamelo.
Competition continues Friday with the Junior Cup.
Full results can be found on the L'International Gymnix website. Sadly, there is no television coverage planned of this weekend's competitions.
FEBRUARY 27 - SANDY WINS ELITE CANADA; PAYNE EDGES PAST DAY 1 LEADER LYTWYN TO TAKE JUNIOR TITLE
Current NCAA All-Around Champion Casey Sandy easily took the senior men's Elite Canada title, scoring 175.300 points. In second place was Ken Ikeda, and third went to Jared Wells. Ikeda was a member of Canada's 2004 Olympic team, and alternate to the 2008 team. Wells was a member of Canada's 2003 Pan Am Games team. 2008 Olympian Nathan Gafuik also competed, but only on four events (skipped rings and p-bars). He placed first amongst the seniors on vault, and second on high bar.
In the junior men's category, Jackson Payne edged past day 1 leader Kevyn Lytwyn to take the title. Jaylan Birl rounded out the podium. Both Payne and Lytwyn will compete at the upcoming Gymnix, along with 2008 Olympian Nathan Gafuik.
Full results from Elite Canada can be found at Gym Score Depot.
FEBRUARY 25 - SHEWFELT WINS SPIRIT OF SPORT STORY OF THE YEAR
3-time Olympian Kyle Shewfelt was recognized at yesterday's Canadian Awards, beating out the men's eight (rowing) and Blythe Hartley to take the Spirit of Sport Story of the Year award. The award recognizes and celebrates a Canadian hero who demonstrates dedication, perseverance, sportsmanship, respect for others, and a true love of sport. Well done, Kyle!
FEBRUARY 23 - SHEWFELT A FINALIST FOR SPIRIT OF SPORT STORY OF THE YEAR
3-time Olympian Kyle Shewfelt is a finalist for the Spirit of Sport Story of the Year. The award recognizes and celebrates a Canadian hero who demonstrates dedication, perseverance, sportsmanship, respect for others, and a true love of sport. Also in the running are diver Blythe Hartley and the Men's Eight (rowing) from Beijing.
The winner will be announced at tomorrow's 36th Canadian Sport Awards, taking place in Ottawa at the National Gallery of Canada.
Good luck, Kyle!
FEBRUARY 22 - ROGERS FINISHES 9TH AT AMERICAN CUP; TEAMMATE MACKIE SWITCHES GYMS; MEN'S ELITE CANADA BEGINS THIS WEEKEND
Brittany Rogers placed 9th at the American Cup, held in Chicago this past Saturday. Her highest score of the day came on vault, where she posted a 14.000. The competition was won by American Jordyn Weiber, who also posted the top score on three of four apparatus. U.S. Olympic team member Bridget Sloan finished second all-around, and bested Weiber on the floor exercise. Germany's Kim Bui, an alternate for both the 2007 Worlds and 2008 Olympics, finished in bronze position.
Meanwhile, back home in Coquitlam, Rogers lost one of her elite training partners as Charlotte Mackie moved from Omega Gymnastics to Surrey Gymnastics to train under David Kenwright. It's a reunion for Charlotte, who, along with sister Gael Mackie, were once coached by Kenwright at Omega. Kenwright has coached several top Canadian women, including 2-time Olympian Kate Richardson and 2007 World team member Sydney Sawa.
This weekend Surrey Gymnastics hosts the 2009 men's Elite Canada competition. Normally held each December, the men's program opted to push back the date of this competition.
FEBRUARY 9 - ROGERS CONFIRMED FOR AMERICAN CUP
Recent Senior Elite Canada champion Brittany Rogers is set to compete at the upcoming American Cup, held February 21 in Chicago. The competitive field includes Bridget Sloan (USA), Jordyn Wieber (USA), Becky Downie (GBR), Koko Tsurumi (JPN), Jessica Lopez (VEZ), Youna Dufournet (FRA), Kim Bui (GER), Amelia Racea (ROM), Kristina Goryunova (RUS). The event is carried live on NBC.
JANUARY 29 - IG INTERVIEWS GAFUIK
International Gymnast has published an interview with Nathan Gafuik.
JANUARY 18 - 10.0 Spotlight Aisha Gerber
Last week Aisha Gerber was awarded the Pac-10 Special Performance of the Week for her 9.9 meet-winning balance beam routine, in the Bruins' season opener at Utah. Gerber was also recently featured in UCLA's 10.0 Spotlight.
JANUARY 2 - FAITH IN GAFUIK
Blythe over at The Gymblog is pegging Nathan Gafuik as a contender on high bar for this year's World Championships. Check out her prediction: Canada's high bar hope Nathan Gafuik could be a contender in 2009
It would be wonderful to see - Gafuik definitely has a great high bar set.
He reworked his tap a couple of years ago and has gained consistency.
I just don't agree that the Canadian men were an unexpected surprise at the
2007 Words (Stuttgart), qualifying a full team to Beijing. I had no doubt
they'd qualify to Beijing, even without their top all-arounder (Adam Wong
out with an Achilles injury) and Olympic great Kyle Shewfelt (broken
knees/legs). We had a very strong group of men last quad. At the previous
year's Worlds they placed fifth in team prelims and sixth in team
finals!
It's going to be very interesting to see how Canada's MAG team shapes together this year. I expect a few retirements. How will newcomers fill the shoes?
JANUARY 2 - O'NEILL COMMITTED TO 2012
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Thanks to the generosity of a local Edmonton businessman, Brandon O'Neill says he's committed to pursuing his dreams at the London 2012 games. O'Neill narrowly missed out on a spot on Canada's 2004 Athens team, was Canada's lone male gymnast at the 2005 World Championships, won bronze on floor at the 2006 World Cup Final, and helped Canada qualify a full team to the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Just days prior to the start of the 2008 Olympics, O'Neill injured his ankle in the Olympic training hall. O'Neill's status was unknown, but days hours before the start of men's preliminaries he received the nod to compete. In the end, the ligament damage proved too severe and he turned in heartbreaking performances.
O'Neill now reveals that he'd basically decided to retire after Beijing. Engaged, he felt it was time to move on to a career with more lucrative possibilities. Instead, new funding means that O'Neill will be able to keep his Olympic dream renewed another four years. Shawn Dolan, owner of ECM Electronics and founder of the Alberta Olympic Sponsorship Group, has committed to providing him with $4,000 a month through to London 2012. It's to "prove to the rest of Canada that if our athletes are funded properly and are able to train as in other countries, they'll succeed in winning medals," Dolan told the Edmonton Journal.
O'Neill is the first recipient of the group's funding. Dolan says he chose the gymnast because he didn't want to see him quit. Dolan's own daughter trains at the city club as O'Neill, Capital City Gymnastics, so he knew of O'Neill's plight.
"It's nice to have another chance to go back and have the kind of outing that you've trained your whole life for," O'Neill said. "...I went in there [Beijing 2008] thinking I had potential for a medal, so four years down the road I don't see why that would change."
Full article: http://www.edmontonjournal.com/Sports/Gymnast+gets+second+chance+medal/1134099/story.html
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