Two-time Olympians Gafuik and Ikeda highlight Elite Canada meet
Posted Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Canada’s best male gymnasts, including two-time Olympians Nathan Gafuik of Calgary and Ken Ikeda of Abbotsford, B.C. hit the floor for the Elite Canada meet in Gatineau, Que., February 27-28.
Gafuik and Ikeda, both members of the 2004 and 2008 Olympic teams, highlight the men’s senior competition along with a strong group of 2012 Olympic hopefuls including Jackson Payne of Edmonton, Kevin Lytwyn of Burlington, Ont., and Jayd Lukenchuk of Saskatoon.
“All of our top guys have been working hard at adding more difficulty to their routines, and this will be a great opportunity to put everything together at a big meet,” said Canadian men’s program director Jeff Thomson of Vancouver.
Missing at this year’s competition are veterans Brandon O’Neill of Edmonton, out with an injured knee, and the defending champion, Casey Sandy of Brampton, Ont., who is recovering from a torn achilles tendon.
Competition is also expected to be top notch in the junior category with several younger gymnasts knocking on the door of the senior team. including Robert Watson of Richmond, B.C., and 2009 all around junior champion Jaylan Birl of Mississaga, Ont.
“It takes a long time to develop an Olympic calibre gymnast, and Elite Canada is a key stepping stone along the way for our junior and tyro athletes,” says Thompson.
“We have a very strong group of younger gymnasts on the way up and it’s important to see how they perform when it really counts.”
Elite Canada, one of two major domestic meets along with the Canadian championships used to select national teams at the senior, junior and tyro levels, has extra weight this year as one of the qualification events for the Pacific Rim Championships in March in Melbourne, Australia.
The competition, which also includes an Argo class for under-12 gymnasts, takes place Saturday, February 27th and Sunday, February 28th, at the Frank Robinson arena in Gatineau (Aylmer).
Five athletes will represent our club at this prestigious event are: Alex Cookney, Nico Bourne (HP Argo), Joshua Stuart (HP Tyro), Robert Watson (Junior) and Jason Scott (Senior).
Good luck to all!