Held virtually, 2021 Canadian Championships saw athletes and coaches submit videos of their routines taken at their home gyms between June 1 to September 12, 2021. Judging took place September 16-19 for the junior and senior categories, and October 2 for the novice categories. Awards were handed out for the following categories: senior high-performance, senior open, junior high-performance, junior open, and novice for individual programs, and senior FIG, junior FIG, junior development, and novice for the group programs.
Due to COVID-19 restrictions in some provinces, not all eligible athletes elected to compete full programs. Athletes were eligible to participate with 2, 3, or 4 routines.
Canadian Championships served as part of the selection process for the 2021 World Championships. The format for Canadian Championships included Competition A, where athletes performed four routines, which then determined the top 15 who would be named to the high-performance pool and qualify to Competition B for event finals. All-Around (AA) results were cumulative using Competition A and Competition B totals to declare the senior and junior Canadian Champions.
Tatiana Cocsanova, QC, finished the competition with a total score of 170.800 to be crowned senior Canadian Champion, while her teammate, Suzanna Shahbazian, placed second with 165.00. Rounding out the podium was Carmel Kallemaa, ON, in third with 145.350.
When asked about her performance, Cocsanova said: “I am very proud that with the circumstances we had throughout this year, that I could make eight routines from which six were without drops. My goal was to make eight routines without any drops and no big mistakes. The goal was obviously not achieved. This means that I must work even harder now to achieve it at my next competition. But I’m grateful for those mistakes because they showed me where I should focus more.”
“I am looking forward to new possibilities to prove myself, especially on the artistic side with the new code of points. I can’t wait to start competing live! It’s been a long time and the crowd encouraging the gymnasts and the atmosphere of it all is very much missed. Travelling and meeting new people are also things I look forward to. Lastly, I’d love to represent Canada on an international scale” said Cocsanova.
Cocsanova will represent Canada at a Grand Prix scheduled from October 14-18, 2021 in Marbella, Spain.
In the junior high-performance category, Karina Kamenetsky, ON, captured first with a total score of 133.400. Siyuan Cao, QC, placed second with 121.300, followed by Angelina Lin, BC, third with 119.650. Both Cao and Lin received all-around and event medals in both the high-performance and open categories.
“It was an honor to represent Ontario in the Canadian championships for the 2021 competitive season and I am especially proud to represent my club, Kalev Estienne. My performances in the four apparatus, hoop, ball, ribbon, and clubs, were successfully executed to the best of my abilities which earned me a top score in the high-performance junior level. I feel that I still have a long journey ahead to excel and perfect the skills and routines that were handpicked for me by my coach, Svetlana Joukova. For me, being a junior champion is not the end of my journey, its just the beginning” said Kamenetsky about her Canadian Championships performances.
In the junior open category, Siyuan Cao, QC, finished first in the AA ranking. Angelina Lin, BC, finished second, while Margaret Kuts, BC, finished third.
The senior open competition, saw Alissa Levytskyy, ON, win gold in the AA competition. Anna Kashnikava, ON, captured the silver, while Alexandra Yarema, MB, took bronze.
It was the Silhouettes of York, ON, that swept the junior FIG group podium, taking gold with their 5 ball, and 5 ribbon routines to capture overall gold. Glimmer Athletics topped the field in the senior FIG group competition, winning gold in both event finals (5 balls, and 3 hoops and 2 pairs of clubs) and the AA.
The novice individual competition wrapped up with Jana Aleman, ON, capturing the AA title. Aleman also took gold in all four event finals: free, hoop, ball, and clubs. Joya Jin, ON, finished second and Morgan Koops, ON, finished third. The novice group from Silhouettes of York, ON placed first all-around.
“Congratulations to the athletes and coaches that were able to prepare routines for competition. The 2021 Canadian Championships, the fifth rhythmic gymnastics virtual event held this year was made possible by our GymCan events team. The athletes, coaches and judges have adjusted to the new reality of virtual events and are looking forward to the day that we can resume live events soon” said Teresa Orr, National Team Director – Rhythmic Gymnastics.
Full results are available for viewing here: http://gymcan.org/events-results/canadian-championships-rg/overview
ABOUT GYMNASTICS CANADA
First established in 1969, Gymnastics Canada has been supporting the mastery of movement in Canada for five decades as the national governing body for the sport of gymnastics in Canada. We work closely with the twelve provincial federations and 700 local clubs to provide a broad range of programs and services to meet the needs of all participants. From athlete development, to coach and judge 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 experiences through the delivery of quality and safe gymnastics programming. Visit www.gymcan.org for more information, or follow us @gymcan1. From here, we soar.
For more information, contact:
Ian Moss
CEO
Gymnastics Canada