Canadian Olympic gymnastics team announced for Paris 2024
TORONTO (June 28, 2024) – Gymnastics Canada and the Canadian Olympic Committee have announced the roster of Team Canada gymnastics athletes nominated to compete at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. The athletes are:
Men’s Artistic Gymnastics:
René Cournoyer (Repentigny, Que.)
Zachary Clay (Chilliwack, B.C.)
Félix Dolci (Laval, Que.)
William Émard (Laval, Que.)
Samuel Zakutney (Ottawa, Ont.)
Women’s Artistic Gymnastics:
Ellie Black (Halifax, N.S.)
Shallon Olsen (Vancouver, B.C.)
Cassie Lee (Toronto, Ont.)
Ava Stewart (Bowmanville, Ont.)
Aurélie Tran (Repentigny, Que.)
Trampoline Gymnastics:
Sophiane Méthot (Varennes, Que.)
The gymnasts qualified for Team Canada based on their performances at the 2024 Canadian Championships, held from June 6 to 9 in Gatineau, Quebec, which were part of the Olympic Selection process.
Canada qualified a full Women’s Artistic Gymnastics (WAG) team for Paris 2024 when they secured a historic bronze medal at the 2022 FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Championships. Led by veteran Black, who was the all-around silver medallist at the 2017 World Championships, the team qualification marked Team Canada’s first athlete quotas secured for Paris 2024. Black went on to win silver on the balance beam at the 2022 World Championships.
The 28-year-old Black, considered a role model to many young gymnasts throughout Canada, placed fourth in the balance beam final at Tokyo 2020 for Canada’s best ever Olympic result in any women’s artistic gymnastics event. At Rio 2016, Black placed a strong fifth in the women’s all-around, after contributing to the Canadian WAG team’s fifth-place finish in the team event at London 2012. She is set to become the first Canadian artistic gymnast to compete at four Olympic Games.
Black also competed at the Toronto 2015 and Lima 2019 Pan American Games. Her total of 10 medals won made Black Canada’s most decorated gymnast ever at the Pan Am Games. She was Team Canada’s Closing Ceremony Flag Bearer at Lima 2019.
“I am thrilled to have qualified for the Canadian WAG Paris Olympic Games team. I feel a lot of pride and gratitude heading into my fourth Olympic Games. That is an incredible accomplishment,” said Black. “I wouldn’t be here without the support of my amazing team around me. I am excited to keep building with these girls and see what our team can do in Paris!”
Olsen will celebrate her 24th birthday just before she makes her third Olympic appearance at Paris 2024. She qualified for the women’s vault final at both Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020, won vault silver at the 2018 World Championships, won bronze in women’s vault at Lima 2019, and was the women’s vault champion at the 2018 Commonwealth Games. Stewart, Lee and Tran were all members of Team Canada’s bronze medal-winning WAG team at the Santiago 2023 Pan American Games. Tran also competed at the Cali 2021 Junior Pan American Games where she won bronze in the all-around, silver on uneven bars, and was one of Team Canada’s Opening Ceremony Flag Bearers. This will be the Olympic debut for both Lee and Tran, while Stewart, who also won bronze on balance beam in Santiago, will make her second Olympic appearance.
Paris 2024 will mark the first time since Beijing 2008 that a full Canadian Men’s Artistic Gymnastics (MAG) team will compete at the Olympic Games. Canada qualified the team for Paris when they placed fourth in team event qualification at the 2023 FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Championships. Clay, Cournoyer, Dolci and Émard were part of the team who earned the Paris qualification, while Zakutney, who was recovering from injury at the time, was the motivation behind the team’s historic performance. The team used a rallying cry, “Do it for Sam,” throughout the event.
Cournoyer, the only male athlete on Team Canada’s Paris 2024 gymnastics team with previous Olympic experience, is eager to guide his teammates through their first Olympic Games. The 27-year-old was the sole male gymnast on Canada’s Tokyo 2020 team. At Santiago 2023, he won bronze on horizontal bar and contributed to the team silver.
“Being part of this team is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! Not only will it allow me to participate in my second Olympic Games, but I will do it with one of, if not the best team ever. We have a serious chance to make history and achieve incredible international results in front of the whole world. Regardless of the outcome, I know I’ll have a blast with my teammates, and Paris will be an event I will remember for the rest of my life,” said Cournoyer.
Dolci will make his Olympic debut at Paris 2024. The 22-year-old won the men’s all-around at Santiago 2023 – Canada’s first men’s all-around champion at the Pan Am Games in 60 years – and at the 2024 Canadian Championships. Dolci has steadily progressed since winning silver on rings at the Buenos Aires 2018 Youth Olympic Games. In 2019, he won gold on rings and silver on floor exercise at the FIG Junior World Championships. He qualified for two apparatus finals at the 2023 World Championships, placing fifth on floor exercise and eighth on horizontal bar.
“I am incredibly honored and excited to join the Paris 2024 team. Being named to this team is a dream come true, and I look forward to contributing my skills and passion to achieve our shared goals,” said Dolci.
Clay and Émard both contributed to the men’s team silver at Santiago 2023, where Clay also won gold in pommel horse. Clay was previously part of the men’s team bronze at Lima 2019 – the first time since 1999 that Canada had won a men’s team medal at the Pan Am Games. Émard defied the odds to make the Paris 2024 Canadian Olympic Team, after suffering a serious bicep injury in March. Focused on his rehabilitation throughout the spring, Émard recovered to win all-around bronze at the 2024 Canadian Championships and solidify his spot on the team.
25-year-old Zakutney will make his Olympic debut after recovering from injury throughout 2023. The 2019 Canadian all-around, vault, parallel bars, and horizontal bar champion also contributed to the men’s team bronze from Lima 2019.
Méthot will compete in women’s trampoline in her major Games debut for Team Canada. She is the 2024 Canadian champion and the 2017 FIG Trampoline Gymnastics World Championships bronze medallist.
“I am so excited and honored to be representing Canada at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. I look forward to sharing these Games with my family and friends who will be cheering me on from Paris!” said Méthot.
Artistic gymnastics will take place from July 27 to August 5 (Day 1 to 10) and trampoline gymnastics will be held on August 2 (Day 7), both at Bercy Arena.
“We are immensely proud of our athletes who have qualified for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. This achievement is a testament to their dedication and hard work. We also extend our gratitude to our coaches, judges, support staff, and traveling alternates, whose expertise, guidance, and readiness exemplify the spirit of teamwork and dedication that defines Team Canada. We wish you all the best in Paris and look forward to celebrating your successes,” said Andrew Price, CEO of Gymnastics Canada.
Team Canada has won seven Olympic medals in trampoline, including back-to-back gold medals from Rosie MacLennan (London 2012 and Rio 2016), and one Olympic medal in artistic gymnastics – Kyle Shewfelt’s gold medal in men’s floor exercise from Athens 2004. Artistic gymnastics has been included at every edition of the Olympic Games dating back to Athens 1896. Only men were allowed to compete until Amsterdam 1928 when a women’s team event was added. Trampoline gymnastics debuted at Sydney 2000.
”I look forward to cheering on the Olympic gymnastics team selected for Paris 2024. Their spectacular skills embody a perfect balance of agility and grace, defying gravity with exceptional elegance. Each of their movements are executed with precision and passion, reflecting their absolute dedication to their art and sport,” said Bruny Surin, Team Canada’s Paris 2024 Chef de Mission. ”Expect to see the maple leaf shine brightly and spin at Arena Bercy this summer.”
Team Canada’s gymnastics team for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games also includes the following alternate athletes, coaches and support staff:
Alternate Athletes
Ioannis Chronopoulos (Milton, Ont.) – MAG Alternate Athlete
Sarah Milette (Longueuil, Que.) – Trampoline Alternate Athlete
Rachel Tam (Toronto, Ont.) – Trampoline Alternate Athlete
Rose Woo (Montreal, Que.) – WAG Alternate Athlete
Coaches
Christian Gallardo (Columbus, USA) – WAG Head Coach
David Kikuchi (Truro, N.S.) – WAG Coach
Lisa Cowan (Toronto, Ont.) – WAG Coach
Katerine Dussault (St-Jérôme, Que.) – WAG Personal Coach
Dorina Stan (North Vancouver, B.C.) – WAG Personal Coach
Ed Van Hoof (Stainforth, England) – MAG Head Coach
Adrian Balan (Bucharest, Romania) – MAG Coach
Jean-Sébastien Tougas (Montreal, Que.) – MAG Coach
Karina Kosko (Sainte-Julie, Que.) – Trampoline Coach
Support Staff
Cyrille Brindamour (Montreal, Que.) – WAG Physiotherapist
Karen Cockburn (Toronto, Ont.) – Trampoline Team Leader
Lori Dithurbide (Grand Etang, N.S) – WAG Mental Performance Consultant
Rachel Gauthier (Scarborough, Ont.) – MAG Athletic Therapist
Greg Jackson (Milton, Ont.) – MAG Team Leader
Josiane Roberge (Quebec, Que.) – Trampoline Physiotherapist
Martha Purdy (Truro, N.S.) – WAG Physiotherapist
Jenny Trew (Milton, Ont.) – WAG Team Leader
Prior to being named to Team Canada, all nominations are subject to approval by the Canadian Olympic Committee’s Team Selection Committee following its receipt of nominations by all National Sport Organizations.
The latest Team Canada Paris 2024 roster can be found here.
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MEDIA CONTACTS:
Katia Perin, Manager, Communications & Marketing
Gymnastics Canada
C: 514-358-4194
E: comms@gymcan.org
Tara MacBournie, Program Manager, Sport Communications
Canadian Olympic Committee
C: 647-522-8328
E: tmacbournie@olympic.ca