Canadian gymnasts set to compete against world's best at 2012 Olympic venue
Posted Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Led by Olympic veterans Brandon O'Neill of Edmonton and Nathan Gafuik of Calgary, Canada's rebuilding men's gymnastics team wrapped up training on Monday prior to the start of competition at the 2009 world gymnastics championships in London, England.

O'Neill, returning to international competition for the first time since the Beijing Olympics, and Gafuik will be joined by world championship rookies Jackson Payne of Edmonton and Kevin Lytwyn of Burlington, Ont., in the men's qualification on Tuesday.

Britanny Rogers and Charlotte Mackie, both of Coquitlam, B.C. and Sydney Sawa of Calgary, also trained on Monday as they gear up for the women's qualification on Wednesday.

This year’s world championships feature just individual competition while providing a golden opportunity for over 400 gymnasts to get a feel for the O2 Arena where the gymnastic events will be held at the 2012 Summer Games.

O’Neill, considered a medal contender on floor at the Beijing Olympics until he severely injured an ankle just before the start of the Games, is looking to get back on track in London.

"There's a chance to make finals on floor and parallel bars but I have to hit nice routines for that to happen so that's my main goal,"said O'Neill. "My ankle is still not 100 percent but it feels really good to be able to get ready for a big meet like this."

Gafuik, one of Canada's strongest all around gymnasts, had to curtail his original plan to compete in all six events after a broken finger several months ago hampered his training.

"With the injury it was tough to get the routines to the level where they need to be to qualify for a final but I think I should be able to place well here," said Gafuik, who will compete on floor, vault and high bar.

Following the retirements of 2004 Olympic champion Kyle Shewfelt and two other Olympic veterans, team officials are confident that younger gymnasts like Payne and Lytwyn can step up and fill the gap at the next Olympics.

“We need to give our younger gymnasts all the experience they can get,” says Canadian men’s program director Jeff Thomson.

“We’ve had some very intensive training camps this year, and the younger guys have been taking giant strides and learning the big skills they need to compete at the top level internationally.”

Payne, the 2008 Canadian junior champion, is the only member of the men's team competing in all six events, while Lytwyn, who won two medals last month at one of the world's top junior meets in Yokohama, Japan, will compete on high bar and parallel bars.

Lytwyn, who won his first national senior title on high bar at the Canadian championships in June, called his first world championships "nerve wracking" and enjoyable at the same time.

"Yesterday during podium training I was shaking, but everything went well. If I can hit all my routines in the competition, I'll be super happy."

In the women’s competition, Rogers and Mackie are also set to make their world championship debut while Sawa is a holdover from the 2007 squad.

Rogers, the 2007 Canadian junior champion and 2008 Elite Canada senior champion, has fought off a series of minor injuries, including a displaced rib which knocked her out of the Canadian championships, and has looked strong at recent training camps.

“All three girls have been doing well in training and have a chance to qualify for the all around final,” says women’s head coach Vladimir Lashin of Coquitlam, B.C.

To qualify for the all around final requires a top-24 ranking in the qualification round and a top-eight finish is required to advance to an event final.

The competition runs from Tuesday through Sunday, October 18.