Gymnastics nominees casting off for London

OTTAWA – Today, the names of 15 more athletes were welcomed into the elite ranks of the Canadian Olympic Team as Gymnastics Canadanominated the athletes who would represent Canada in the sport of Gymnastics in London this summer.“This will be my fourth consecutive Olympic Games, but it will be as exciting, as meaningful, as important as Sydney, Athens and Beijing,” said three-time Olympic medallist Karen Cockburn. “We will continue to work hard. We are training to ensure we cover every single little detail in our preparation.”“It’s great to welcome these athletes to our team, class of 2012,” said Mark Tewksbury, Canadian Olympic Team Chef de Mission for the London 2012 Olympic Games. “Together we’re building a team that is driven, determined and defiant. With London just around the corner, I know the athletes are raring to go!”

The 15 gymnasts nominated to the Canadian Olympic Team include, for Men’s Artistic Gymnastics: Nathan Gafuik ( Calgary, AB); for Women’s Artistic Gymnastics: Kristina Vaculik (Whitby, ON), Victoria Moors (Cambridge, ON), Brittany Rogers, (Coquitlam, BC), Dominique Pegg, (Sarnia, ON); and Ellie Black (Halifax); for Rhythmic Gymnastics : Katrina Cameron, Rosie Cossar, Alexandra Landry, Anastasiya Muntyanu, Anjelika Reznik; and  Kelsey Titmarsh, all from Toronto; and for Trampoline Gymnastics: Karen Cockburn,  Rosie MacLennan, and Jason Burnett, all of whom also hail from Toronto.

“Today, the dreams of a lifetime are brought one step closer to reality for these outstanding young gymnasts,” said Jean Paul Caron, President of Gymnastics Canada. “It’s very rewarding to be nominating them to the Canadian Olympic Team. We’re very proud of what they’ve achieved to date and know that their continued excellence will serve as an inspiration to others pursing their Olympic dreams.”

“The eyes of the world will be on London this summer and our Canadian athletes will shine in the spotlight,” said Marcel Aubut, President of the Canadian Olympic Committee. “My congratulations to our excellent new nominees who, as part of the Canadian Olympic Team, will help us toward our ambitious goal of Top 12 in 2012.”