Rosie Maclennan horizontal & mid-air during a routine.AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky
AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky

Fly into the air with Team Canada gymnasts as they train

For Training Tuesdays, we’re curating some of the most interesting and creative training moments from athletes. Check out the others here.


The gymnasts of Team Canada have been extraordinary in training during a tumultuous past year. From left to right or from bottom to top, fly into their daily life and be fascinated by their prowess. 

Take a behind-the-scenes look at how they’ve been training.

1. Rosie MacLennan

Similar to life, there is always room for improvement in sports. This is even the case for two-time Olympic champion, Rosie MacLennan, who won the trampoline title in London 2012 and Rio 2016. MacLennan will look to repeat her Olympic success once again at Tokyo 2020. Watch her make some adjustments to an already awesome routine below. 

2. Ellie Black

Artistic gymnastics uses several areas of the human body. Ellie Black demonstrates this as she exemplifies her Herculean strength in different exercises. 

(The video above was shared by Ellie on February 19, 2021.)

For Black, being at home is no excuse for doing nothing. With her third Olympic Games in her sights, she is looking to improve her Rio 2016 fifth-place result, which is the best all-around result in Canadian history. 

Adapting to the current situation also means participating in virtual competitions. Watch some of her routines below. 

(The video above was shared by Ellie on April 12, 2021.)

3. William Emard

Warning: This video of William Emard training could cause dizziness. The Quebec gymnast does what he does best, turns faster and faster. He finished 17th in the floor event at the 2019 World Championships in Stuttgart, Germany. 

4. Maya Zonneveld

The past year has been a perfect opportunity for gymnasts to work on specific maneuvers in training. Check out Maya Zonneveld who has learned new tricks. While she’s only beginning her time with the senior national team, she’s showing off what she’s capable of.

5. Félix Dolci

It’s always better to miss when it doesn’t matter. Félix Dolci show us different routines in this video and everything seems to be going well…until the very end. Looks like it’s time to get back up and try again! Dolci already has an impressive record for his young age, and he plans to build upon his momentum of becoming the rings champion at the 2019 World Junior Championships. Dolci also competed at the 2018 Summer Youth Olympics, and won silver in the rings event

6. Kenji Tamane

Ouch! Our arms hurt just watching this clip, how about you? It takes strength and control to hold still in different positions for so long. As we can see, Kenki Tamane is a rings specialist that previously finished fourth in this event at the 2019 Canadian Artistic Gymnastics Championships.

7. Keegan Soehn

In honour of Kobe Bryant and Mamba Day, Keegan Soehn showed great versatility by combining gymnastics with basketball during his training. Like his idol, Soehn always gives everything to success. The trampoline athlete competed at the 2019 World Championships, finishing 21st overall. 

8. Cassie Lee

Athletes don’t become champions by accident. There is of course talent, perseverance, determination, but above all a lot of practice behind any Olympic medal. Cassie Lee, just 15-years-old and a recent member of the senior national team, is definitely one to watch over the next few years.

9. Clara Raposo

Like her teammate Lee, Clara Raposo has just joined the senior national gymnastics team. It’s inspiring to watch her confidence and talent grow. We can safely say that she is ready for the big leagues after she won the all-around silver medal at the 2019 Canadian Artistic Gymnastics Championships.