Sitting in second position behind the Ukraine after the first sub-division, the team had to wait until the end of the day to see where the total score of 158.563 would leave them overall. At the finish of the fourth division, it was Japan taking the very first gold medal of the competition with a total score of 162.754. Ukraine finished with the silver medal with a total score of 159.828, while Italy rounded out the podium with a total score of 159.179. China finished fourth with a total score of 158.704.
“I’m really proud of how we did today. The team and I really got through this competition as a team, step-by-step, and I think that’s what gave us this good result,” said Dolci who was recently crowned the junior AA champion at the 2019 Canadian Championships this past May.
Ed Van Hoof, Head National Team coach for men’s artistic gymnastics at Gymnastics Canada added: “This was a really successful team. They all pulled together and the coaches have been magnificent. For Canada, it shows that the quality is there, and that they can hold their heads high on the world stage and that this is a real step forward. Hopefully this is a real motivation for the senior boys going forward to Pan Am Games this summer and the World Championships in Stuttgart this fall.”
In the AA competition, Canada finished with two athletes in the top-10 — Dolci in fourth with a total score of 79.731, and Siminiuc in 9th with a total score of 78.699. Japan dominated the podium with Shinnosuke Oka taking the gold, and his teammate Ryosuke Doi the silver. Their teammate Takeru Kitazono finished third overall, but with the two-per-country rule, Ukrainian athlete Illia Kovtun took the bronze with a total score of 80.264.
Thursday’s competition also determined the event finalists who will compete on Saturday and Sunday. Dolci qualified for the floor final in third position, and for the rings finals in second – both of those finals will take place on Saturday. Dolci also had the top qualifying score on his first vault, but because he didn’t compete a second vault, he didn’t qualify for the finals.
“For the finals, I’m aiming for medals. The colour of the medal is going to depend on how precise the routine is going to be. Obviously it’s going to be a really good fight and I’m hoping for a medal,” said Dolci who won a silver medal on rings at the 2018 Youth Olympic Games.
The women’s team will compete tomorrow in the last sub-division of five starting at 1300 ET.
For full results, please visit: https://live.gymnastics.sport/schedule.php?idevent=16020
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