Canadian gymnasts primed for season opening World Cup in Montreal
Posted Wednesday, March 3, 2010

MONTREAL -- Olympic veterans Nathan Gafuik of Calgary and Ken Ikeda of Abbotsford, B.C., and their teammates Jackson Payne of Edmonton and Kevin Lytwyn of Stoney Creek, Ont., are looking to get the 2010 international gymnastics season off to a flying start at a men’s World Cup meet in Montreal, March 5-7.

All four members of the Canadian squad looked sharp at the Elite Canada meet last weekend in Gatineau, Que., and are aiming for the podium in a field that includes a team from gymnastics powerhouse Japan.

Gafuik, who has one of the most difficult high bar routines in the world and is also strong on vault and floor, is eager to ramp up his performance with an eye to making his third Olympic team in 2012.

“There was a bit of a let down after Beijing but we’ve all been working really hard since the fall and want to show what we can do,” said Gafuik, who won two medals at last year’s World Cup in Montreal.

“I’m excited about my high bar routine, it’s finally starting to come together,” said Gafuik, a key figure on Canada’s rebuilding men’s team following the retirements of 2004 Olympic champion Kyle Shewfelt, and three other members of the Beijing team.

Lytwyn, who picked up five individual event medals at Elite Canada, says he’s especially looking forward to the Montreal meet after getting knocked out last year with an injury.

“Everything is going well right now and I’m working on consistency in all my routines,”says Lytwyn, who is a contender on high bar and rings.

The men’s competition features individual event competitions only, with each country allowed two competitors per apparatus.

In addition to the World Cup meet, Canada’s top women gymnasts, both junior and senior, will also be in action this weekend.

Among the competitors at the Gymnix International Cup for seniors are 2008 Olympian Nansy Damianova of Montreal and 2007 world team member Kristina Vaculik of Whitby, Ont.

In the Junior Cup, Canada’s top young gymnasts will face a stiff challenge from Russia and Romania. Leading the way are 2009 junior Pan Am championship team member Madeline Gardiner of Cambridge, Ont., 2009 Elite Canada all around junior champion Riley Cholod of Bowmanville, Ont., 2009 Elite Canada vault & floor Champion Briannah Tsang, from Vancouver, BC and Sabrina Gill, from Oakville, the youngest member of the team.

Also competing this weekend at the prestigious American Cup in Worcester, Massachusetts, is Dominique Pegg of Sarnia, Ont., the 2009 women’s senior all around champion at Elite Canada.

The competition features a mix of the world’s best gymnasts, including seven 2008 Olympians, and some of the sport’s rising stars.

“I’m really excited, this is taking things to a whole new level for me,” said Pegg.

The competition takes place on Saturday, March 6 with a field of eight in both the men’s and women’s all around.