Gymnastics Canada confirms team for Delhi CWG

NEW DELHI - Gymnastics Canada Gymnastique and Commonwealth Games Canada (CGC) recently confirmed the gymnastics athletes and coaches named to Team Canada for the XIXth Commonwealth Games in Delhi, this October.

The rhythmic gymnastics team for Canada will feature Mariam Chamilova (Maple, ON), Demetra Mantcheva (Richmond, BC), and Nerissa Mo (Vancouver, BC). The three athletes represent the top rhythmic gymnastics competitors in Canada and will all compete this September at the 2010 Rhythmic Gymnastics World Championships in Moscow, Russia before travelling to the 2010 Commonwealth Games.

Robert Watson (Port Coquitlam, BC) will be representing Canada as part of the five-member men’s artistic gymnastics team. Watson recently qualified for the men’s all around final at the inaugural Youth Olympic Games in Singapore with a solid performance in all six events. Another gymnast to watch is Ian Galvan (Calgary, AB), who was a member of Alberta’s silver-medal-winning men’s gymnastics team at the 2007 Canada Winter Games in Whitehorse, Yukon.

For women’s artistic gymnastics, team members include Kristin Klarenbach (Edmonton, AB) of the Champions Gymnastics Club in Edmonton, who finished with a bronze medal at the 2010 Canadian Gymnastics Championships in Kamloops, BC; Emma Willis (Sarnia, ON), coached by Dave and Elizabeth Brubaker who recently, as a pair, were named International Coach of the Year by Gymnastics Canada; and Cynthia Lemieux-Guillemette (St.-Hubert, QC), who placed sixth at the 2010 Canadian Gymnastics Championships, represents the Gym-Richelieu club and looks forward to the uneven bars, her favourite event.

“I was fortunate to see Robert (Watson) compete in Singapore at the recent Youth Olympic Games and look forward to his encore performance in Delhi,” says Team Canada Chef de Mission, Martha Deacon. “In fact, having watched all of these talented athletes at recent Canadian championships, I’m really excited about their potential to turn in best-ever performances at this pivotal competition, with the 2012 Olympic Summer Games in London just around the corner.”

“The team representing Canada in gymnastics brings youth, energy and solid international experience to the event,” says Gymnastics Canada President and Chief Executive Officer, Jean-Paul Caron. “We expect solid performances from our athletes and unparalleled support from our top calibre coaches at this important event.”

For rhythmic gymnastics, athletes were selected based on results at the Elite Canada event in March 11-14 in Toronto (35 percent) and the Canadian Individual Championships June 2-6 in Edmonton (65 percent).

The top three ranked gymnasts from the Senior National Team were named to the Commonwealth team. The men’s artistic gymnastics team was selected through a pool of senior athletes identified according to rankings at the Canadian Championships May 24-30 in Kamloops, BC, with final selection of the five team members completed during training camps in mid-August.

The women’s artistic gymnastics athletes were selected during the same process as was used to identify the 2010 World Championships team. The process involved a selection working group that identified eligible athletes based on 2010 Canadian Championships results, trials which took place Aug 15-16 in Toronto, on an athlete’s demonstrated ability to contribute towards the team total and medal count, on previous international experience, and on individual qualities of the athlete.

The gymnastics athletes named to Team Canada include:

Tariq Dowers

Mississauga, ON

Men’s Artistic Gymnastics

Ian Galvan

Calgary, AB

Men’s Artistic Gymnastics

Anderson Loran

Saskatoon, SK

Men’s Artistic Gymnastics

Jason Scott

Richmond, BC

Men’s Artistic Gymnastics

Robert Watson

Port Coquitlam, BC

Men’s Artistic Gymnastics

Mariam Chamilova

Maple, ON

Rhythmic Gymnastics

Demetra Mantcheva

Richmond, BC

Rhythmic Gymnastics

Nerissa Mo

Vancouver, BC

Rhythmic Gymnastics

Kristin Klarenbach

Edmonton, AB

Women’s Artistic Gymnastics

Cynthia Lemieux-Guillemette

St-Hubert, QC

Women’s Artistic Gymnastics

Emma Willis

Sarnia, ON

Women’s Artistic Gymnastics

Catherine Dion

Gatineau, QC

Women’s Artistic Gymnastics

Gabrielle May

Winnipeg, MB

Women’s Artistic Gymnastics

Supporting the 2010 Commonwealth Games gymnastics team in Delhi will be:

Catherine Haines

Ottawa, ON

Gymnastics Team Leader

Svetlana Joukova

Richmond Hill, ON

Rhythmic Gymnastics Coach

Dajana Kosarac

Vancouver, BC

Rhythmic Gymnastics Coach

Elizabeth Brubaker

Sarnia, ON

Women’s Artistic Gymnastics Coach

Michel Charron

St. Hubert, QC

Women’s Artistic Gymnastics Coach

Valerie Oudin

Edmonton, AB

Women’s Artistic Gymnastics Coach

Chris Foo

Mississauga, ON

Men’s Artistic Gymnastics Coach

Ferenc Szabo

Langley, BC

Men’s Artistic Gymnastics Coach

Artistic gymnastics was first included on the Commonwealth Games program at the 1978 Games in Edmonton with rhythmic gymnastics not added until the 1990 Games in Auckland, New Zealand.

The gymnastics events at the XIXth Commonwealth Games in Delhi will take place first with the artistic events October 4-8 and rhythmic events October 12-14.

First established in 1969, Gymnastics Canada is the national governing body for the sport of gymnastics in Canada. Gymnastics Canada works closely with the twelve Provincial Federations and the 700 local clubs to provide a broad range of programs and services to meet the needs of all participants. From athlete development to coaching and judging education, Gymnastics Canada sets the operating standards and practices for the sport in Canada. Our mandate is to promote and provide positive and diverse gymnastics experience through the delivery of quality and safe gymnastics programming. (ANI)