Category: history

Ellie Black does NOT have retirement scheduled

Despite this misleading headline, Ellie is not planning to quit after Tokyo.

HOW ELLIE BLACK ENVISIONS HER SWAN SONG AT TOKYO 2020

Already a two-time Olympian and one of Canada’s best female gymnasts ever, it’s easy to wonder when she might be done.

And Black at just 23-years-old is used to facing questions about when she’ll hang up her grips.

“I don’t even know what I’m doing tomorrow, basically,” Black said with a laugh Saturday. …

“I always say age is just a number,” said Black.

That’s something the Nova Scotia-native proved as she’s continued to get better, year-after-year. …

“As long as I’m enjoying gymnastics and I’m loving what I’m doing, why not keep doing it?”

related – Ellie Black becomes Canada’s most decorated Pan Am gymnast (ahead of Willie Weiler of The Weiler fame)

Simone Biles – 60 points AA

1. Simone Biles – 60.000
2. Riley McCusker – 57.900
3. Grace McCallum – 57.700
4. Kara Eaker – 56.800
5. Leanne Wong – 56.650
6. Morgan Hurd – 56.500
7. Aleah Finnegan – 55.500
8. Faith Torrez – 55.250

Full results.

Canada’s 1st World Champion

The great Kyle Shewfelt won Floor in the Athens Olympics, but no Canadian had won a gold in an Artistic Gymnastics World Championships before Félix Dolci.

Jr. World Champion on Rings.

Nellie & Nadia together again

At European Games.

IG magazine Hall of Fame 2019

Shawn Johnson
Maria Filatova
Ivan Ivankov
Li Xiaopeng

In addition to the Class of 2019 Inductees, the 2019 IGHOF International Order of Merit will be presented to Hardy Fink (Canada), the Director of Education & Academy Programs for the International Gymnastics Federation, for his 4 decades of leadership and service.

IG

Chris Bogantes & Chris Brooks to Arkansas

Yep.

Head Coach Jordyn Wieber is bringing in bestie Chris Brooks who’d been coaching Men in Oklahoma. And Chris Bogantes who’s been coaching at Illinois the past 2 years.

In related Jordyn Wieber news …

R.I.P. Carol Johnston

One of the gymnasts that inspired me most in my life, Carol Johnston, died of complications from Early On-set Alzheimers. We trained together as kids at Altadore Gymnastics.

Julie Knight Bowse posted in Gymnastics – A Golden Era

“It is with a heavy heart that I let all of you know that Carol Johnston-Koniar [“Lefty”] passed away on Saturday, May 11, 2019 ….

Carol and I were teammates and roommates at Cal State Fullerton and remained lifelong friends. Her husband called me Saturday and asked that I inform the gymnastics community. He is grateful that she is no longer suffering.” 😥

Click PLAY or watch her Beam on Facebook.

related – Her husband Scott D. Koniar posted her medical story in the Gianna Homes newsletter in 2017.

My wife Carol Johnston Koniar was born with one arm in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. …

Her parents encouraged her to not let her one arm be a handicap. Carol grew up enjoying both ice skating and gymnastics.

Carol … received a scholarship to Cal State Fullerton.

In 1979, Disney produced a documentary short on Carol entitled The Truly Exceptional: Carol Johnston.

The documentary was turned into a feature film Lefty, which premiered across the nation as part of Disney’s Wonderful World series.

… read more (page 5)

Click PLAY or watch a Cal State Fullerton tribute on YouTube.

via Fans of Canadian Gymnastics

new Elena Produnova interview

gymnovosti:

Elena Produnova is currently coaching in Nalchik, at the South of Russia and hopes to one day raise gymnasts that will make the national team.  …

Q: You said that you had fantastic coaches…

A: Yes, I was very lucky. After Elena Pechenzhiyeva who coached me from the age of five, Ruslan Lavrov and Veronika Yakubova became my coaches. They raised me and passed me on to the national team and they did absolutely everything for me …

Q: Can you answer how you did it? (Handspring Double Front)

A: This vault was invented by Ruslan Spiridonovich. I started learning it with him, and it continued for a long time, in the form of a game. No one thought, or at least I couldn’t even suppose that I would go back to this vault and would do it in competition. Such a thought didn’t even occur to me. But then Leonid Arkayev remembered about it in the right time and implemented what was once trained. …

CATCHING UP WITH ELENA PRODUNOVA

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Svetlana Khorkina mini-documentary

Love her or hate her, triple Olympian Khorkina is one of the greatest gymnasts all time.

By the way, she says you HAVE to love her. No choice. 😀

Svetlana does not lack self-confidence.

Olympic Channel posted a 10 minute documentary. Subtitles.

It features her coach Boris Pilkin.

Click PLAY or watch a teaser on Facebook.

Maggie Nichols wins the Honda

It’s got nothing to do with the Heisman. The Honda is better. 😀

Maggie is absolutely one of the greatest College gymnasts all time.

Oklahoma junior and 2019 NCAA team, vault and all-around champion Maggie Nichols was named the Honda Sport Award winner for Gymnastics, the Collegiate Women Sports Awards (CWSA) announced Tuesday. …

“It is such an honor and truly a blessing to receive this award,” Nichols said. “Being one of the three athletes in OU history to ever receive this award is truly incredible. I also want to congratulate Brenna Dowell, Sarah Finnegan and Kyla Ross on being nominated this year as they are all incredible athletes.

Nichols was chosen by a vote of administrators from over 1,000 NCAA member schools. …

Sooner Sports