Canadian gymnasts earn gold, silver and bronze at World Cup gymnastics meet in Montreal
Posted Saturday, March 6, 2010

MONTREAL -- Kevin Lytwyn of Stoney Creek, Ont., won a gold medal on rings and a bronze on floor, while Ken Ikeda of Abbotsford, B.C., took the silver on pommel horse at a World Cup gymnastics meet on Saturday.

Lytwyn topped a field of five finalists on rings with a score of 14.500 points.

Ali Al Asi of Jordon placed second with 14.350 points and Kohei Kameyama of Japan was third at 13.700.

Lytwyn, a strong contender for a spot on the 2012 Olympic team, was competing for the first time at a World Cup meet.

At his intended World Cup debut last year at the same event in Montreal, he was injured in his first event and knocked out of the competition.

“I was pretty confident about my chances for a medal on rings but there were some pretty strong guys out there,” said Lytwyn, who will try for his third medal of the meet in the parallel bars final on Sunday.

In the pommel horse competition, Ikeda scored 14.600 to finish second behind Krisztian 2009 world silver medalist Krisztian Berki of Hungary who earned the gold with 15.750 points.

Japan’s Kameyama took home his second medal of the meet, winning the bronze with a score of 14.100.

In the floor final Shuskuke Kikuchi and Kyoichi Watanabe of Japan finished 1-2.

Other Canadians competing in Sunday’s three remaining finals are Nathan Gafuik of Calgary on high bar and vault, Jackson Payne of Edmonton on high bar, and Ikeda on parallel bars.

In the women’s Youth Cup, held at the same time as the World Cup, Madeline Gardiner of Cambridge, Ont., won the gold medal in the women’s all around with a score of 54.225.

Riley Cholod of Bowmanville, Ont., was second with a score of 54.050 and Mariya Karpova of Russia was third at 53.725.

In the team competition, Canadians squads placed first, third and fifth with Russia and Romania ranked second and fourth respectively.

Meanwhile at the American Cup in Worcester, Massaschusetts, Dominique Pegg of Sarnia, Ont., finished 7th all around in a field of top international competitors.

Rebecca Bross of the United States, led an American sweep of the top three spots.