Gwangju 2015 website: www.gwangju2015.com
Team Canada website: http://english.cis-sic.ca/universiade/summer/2015/index
Hannah Parry of Edmonton and Lisa Huh of Vancouver will start their three-day competition in Gwangju on July 11. The duo will be mentored in South Korea by Judy Martens, Gymnastics Canada team coach, a former world championships competitor.
Parry and Huh each have unique connections to the Universiade.
As a 12-year-old, back in 2009, Parry was the “Face of the Future University Games Athletes” when Edmonton presented its bid to host the 2015 FISU Games. Now, six years after travelling to Belgium with the Canadian delegation, the University of Alberta student will wear the maple leaf in Universiade competition.
For her part, Huh, whose parents are from South Korea, is following in the footsteps of her father, who represented his native country in ice hockey at the 1989 Winter Games in Sofia, Bulgaria.
Parry has been competing at the national level since 2009 and was recently accepted into the astrophysics program at the U of A. Huh competed at the 2012 Junior Pan American Championships, where the University of Toronto student helped Canada win team silver.
Canada’s lone Universiade medal in rhythmic gymnastics came in 1991 when Susie Cushman won bronze in the clubs event in Sheffield, England.
NOTE: Canada will not compete in artistic gymnastics in Gwangju.
ROSTER
Name University Hometown
Lisa Huh, University of Toronto, from Vancouver, B.C.
Hannah Parry, University of Alberta, from Edmonton, Alta.
Head Coach: Judy Martens, Edmonton, Alta.
CANADA’S ALL-TIME UNIVERSIADE MEDALS IN RHYTHMIC GYMNASTICS:
1991 (Sheffield, England): Susie Cushman, clubs (bronze)
About the Summer Universiade
The Summer Universiade is an international multi-sport event that takes place every two years and is second only to the Olympic Games in the number of participating athletes and countries. The Universiade is open to competitors who are at least 17 and less than 28 years of age as of January 1 in the year of the Games. Participants must be full-time students at a post-secondary institution (university, college, CEGEP) or have graduated from a post-secondary institution in the year preceding the event.
About Gymnastics Canada
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. For more information, visit www.gymcan.org.