Occupation
Athlete
Education
Human Movement Studies - Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, CAN
Spoken languages
English
Club
Halifax Alta Gymnastics Club [Canada]
Coach
David Kikuchi [club], CAN
Sporting relatives
Her older sister Karen has competed in figure skating at an elite level. Her younger brother William has competed in artistic gymnastics and was the Canadian national vault champion in 2016. (signalhfx.ca, 07 Feb 2017; gymns.ca, 08 Jun 2016; support4sport.ca, 20 Nov 2015; gymcan.org, 25 Oct 2015)
International senior debut
2010 for Canada (gymcan.org, 13 Jul 2015)
Injuries
She decided to withdraw from the 2022 National Championships in Richmond, BC, Canada, in order to rest a sore ankle. (CBC Sports YouTube channel, 03 Jun 2022; wogymnast.com, 29 May 2022)
She withdrew from the all-around final at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo after spraining her ankle during her warm up. She originally sustained the injury in June 2021 before aggravating it in Tokyo. Despite the injury, she was able to continue competing at the Games and placed fourth on the beam. (theglobeandmail.com, 03 Aug 2021)
She tore ligaments in her right ankle at the 2019 World Championships in Stuttgart, Germany, and required surgery. (theglobeandmail.com, 03 Aug 2021; gymnastics.sport, 09 Mar 2020)
She sustained a minor knee injury in February 2019. (thegymter.net, 04 Mar 2019)
In January 2017 she sprained her ankle in training. She returned to competition at the World Challenge Cup in Koper, Slovenia, in May 2017, which was her first competition since the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. (localxpress.ca, 25 Jan 2017; flogymnastics.com, 15 May 2017; cbc.ca, 14 May 2017)
She suffered ankle and wrist problems in 2016 but was still able to qualify for and compete at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. (localxpress.ca, 25 Jan 2017)
She experienced trouble with her ankle from the end of 2015 until mid-2016. (localexpress.ca, 30 May 2016)
At the 2012 Olympic Games in London, she injured her left ankle during the individual vault event and was unable to compete for the rest of the Games. (thechronicleherald.ca, 18 Jun 2014)
In 2011 she needed surgery for a dislocated and broken toe, which meant she missed the first half of the year. Soon after returning to action, she dislocated her elbow and fractured her thumb at a competition in France. (thechronicleherald.ca, 03 Jun 2012)
Start sporting career
She first tried gymnastics at age six. "Someone suggested [gymnastics] to my dad because I was a very strong child, very energetic, jumping all over the place. So it just kind of seemed like a sport that would really fit me and ever since I got into the gym I just absolutely loved it." (support4sport.ca, 20 Nov 2015; MuscleTech Podcast, 28 Sep 2021)
Reason for taking up the sport
She did gymnastics and figure skating until she was forced to make a choice between them at age eight. "I couldn't do both sports if I wanted to reach a competitive level and I was excelling in gymnastics." (support4sport.ca, 20 Nov 2015)
Milestones
She was part of the group that won Canada's first artistic gymnastics team medal at the world championships, claiming bronze in the women's team event in 2022 in Liverpool, England. (2022worldgymnastics.com, 01 Nov 2022; SportsDeskOnline, 17 Nov 2022)
She became the first Canadian to win an all-around world championship medal when she won silver at the 2017 edition in Montreal, QC, Canada. (SportsDeskOnline, 20 Aug 2019; gymnastics.sport, 12 Aug 2019)
In 2019 she became the most decorated Canadian artistic gymnast at the Pan American Games. She won five medals at the 2019 Games in Lima, Peru, to take her total medal haul at the Pan American Games to 10. (SportsDeskOnline, 20 Aug 2019; gymnastics.sport, 12 Aug 2019)
Trainings
She includes meditation, yoga and ballet in her training regime. (Instagram profile, 13 Nov 2021)
Hero / Idol
Canadian artistic gymnast Peng-Peng Lee. (fulltwist.net, 09 Apr 2014)
Most influential person in career
Coaches David Kikuchi and Keiji Yamanaka. (MuscleTech Podcast, 28 Sep 2021)
Philosophy / Motto
"Dream big, don't let anyone else set your limits." (gymcan.org, 25 Oct 2015)
Awards
In 2018 she was named to the Order of Nova Scotia in Canada. (660citynews.com, 05 Oct 2018)
In 2014, 2016, 2017 and 2018 she was named women's artistic gymnastics Senior Athlete of the Year by Gymnastics Canada. In 2017 she shared the award with Brooklyn Moors. (sirc.ca, 04 Feb 2019; intlgymnast.com, 05 Feb 2018; cscatlantic.ca, 08 Feb 2017; thechronicleherald.ca, 18 Jun 2014)
She was named Female Individual Athlete of the Year at the 2016 Ricoh Awards, which recognise achievements and contributions to sport in Nova Scotia, Canada. (sportnovascotia.ca, 29 May 2016)
Additional information
General
NOT GOING ANYWHERE
Speaking in 2022, she said she has no imminent plans to retire. She believes that the increasing number of older gymnasts is a positive. "I try and think about what's for dinner tonight, and then what's for breakfast tomorrow morning. I like to take it day-by-day. I always say this, but it's what I live by: I love gymnastics, and I will do it for as long as I possibly can if I'm still enjoying it and my body can handle it. I always say age is just a number. I joke that I'm old, but really there are so many athletes who are sticking around at this age. I think it's awesome. I think we're developing and growing, and I think that's a great thing for the sport." (gymnastics.sport, 28 Oct 2022; olympicchannel.com, 30 Jul 2019)
Last update : 2022-11-18
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