Ava Stewart

Biography

For Ava Stewart, the postponement of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games by a year was fortuitous as she only became age eligible for senior competition in 2021, the year of her 16^th birthday. In her first year as a senior, she placed second in the all-around behind only Ellie Black at the virtual 2021 Elite Canada meet in February. She also recorded podium placements in the floor exercise (gold), beam (silver) and uneven bars (bronze). 

At the two Canadian Technical Trials also held virtually in April and May 2021, Stewart again finished second in the all-around twice behind Black. Those performances led to her making her Olympic debut later that summer. At Tokyo 2020, Stewart competed on all four apparatus and helped the team to a 10^th-place finish, gaining valuable experience for the future. 

In 2022, Stewart finished third in the all-around at the Canadian Championships and helped Canada win team bronze at the Pan American Championships. That was despite being affected by a foot fracture she had sustained in 2021. She was the runner-up in the all-around and gold medallist on uneven bars at the 2023 Canadian Championships and then finished third in the all-around at the national trials, earning her a spot on her first world championship team. At the 2023 Worlds, the team finished 12^th overall with Stewart competing on floor exercise and uneven bars.

Stewart competed in her first FIG Apparatus World Cup in Cairo in 2023 and placed a strong fifth on the uneven bars in the event finals. At a FIG World Challenge Cup in Szombathely, Hungary in September 2023, she qualified for both the beam and floor exercise finals, finishing seventh and sixth, respectively.

At the Santiago 2023 Pan American Games, Stewart brought home a bronze medal in the team event and a bronze medal from the balance beam final. She was the top Canadian in the women’s all-around final, placing fifth. 

Stewart qualified for Paris 2024 with her strong third-place finish in the all-around competition at the 2024 Canadian Championships, where she also won gold on balance beam and bronze on the uneven bars.

A Little More About Ava

Getting into the Sport: Started gymnastics in a parent-tot class at 18 months old and began competing at age 6… Outside Interests: Enjoys baking, watching old movies… Odds and Ends: Moved to Canada from the USA at age 5… Inspired by the hard work and determination of gym-mates Kristina Vaculik and Ana Padurariu… Graduated from High School in 2023… Announced her commitment to attend the University of Minnesota in June 2023; deferred her entry by one year to continue training for Paris 2024…