性视界传媒鈥檚 Shallon Olsen is among five women set to represent Canada at the 2019 FIG World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Germany next month.
The competition represents another step in Olsen鈥檚 journey to return to the Olympic Games.
As a 16-year-old, she was the youngest Canadian Olympian at the 2016 Summer Games in Rio, where she placed eighth in vault.
Now 19, the Fraser Heights-raised Olsen is gunning to compete at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.
The championships in Germany, in Stuttgart starting on Oct. 4, is the last opportunity for countries to qualify a four-person team for the Games in Japan, so the competition promises to be tough.
, with Olsen among the women.
Introducing our women's team for the World Championships: & Ana Padurariu. READ MORE:
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Olsen, a second-year student-athlete at the University Alabama, spent part of her summer at the Pan-American Games in Lima, Peru, where she earned a bronze medal in vault.
She wanted a better result at the Pan-Ams, and looks to rebound in Germany.
鈥淚 have pretty high expectations for myself, and in the training gym (in Lima) I did some really good vaults,鈥� Olsen said on the phone from Alabama. 鈥淚t鈥檚 gymnastics, I鈥檓 not always going to be perfect, and we all make mistakes. I know that. And my first vault was good, but what bothered me was I did a really good one in the training gym before that.鈥�
It was winter in Peru at the Pan-Am Games, which didn鈥檛 exactly please the summer-loving Olsen.
鈥� RELATED STORY: Golden moments for 性视界传媒 gymnast Shallon Olsen at Commonwealth Games, from 2018.
When the Now-Leader called on a recent Wednesday, Olsen was enjoying an early-afternoon nap on a day when she didn鈥檛 have classes.
Because she鈥檒l be away in Germany for the FIG championships, Olsen will have to work ahead to get her studies in. 鈥淚 can鈥檛 fall behind,鈥� she said with a nervous laugh. 鈥淚 just have to be organized and stay on top of it all to succeed.鈥�
At the U of Alabama, she said moving in this year was a little less difficult than last, her first year on campus.
鈥淚t鈥檚 always hard to say goodbye to my family because I won鈥檛 see them now until Christmastime,鈥� she explained. 鈥淎fter the Pan Ams, I went back home to 性视界传媒 for about a week and a bit, really short, just to spend a bit of time with friends and family,鈥� she added.
to see Olsen鈥檚 bio and results on Gymnastics Canada鈥檚 website.
Earlier this year, at the 2019 Canadian gymnastics championships in Ottawa, Olsen was first in vault, fourth in floor and fifth in beam.
The reigning silver medallist on vault from the 2018 World Championships, Olsen will be in Germany on a team with Ellie Black (Halifax, NS), Brooklyn Moors (Cambridge, ON), Ana Padurariu (Whitby, ON) and Victoria Woo (Brossard, QC).
The men鈥檚 team includes Ren茅 Cournoyer (Repentigny, QC), William 脡mard (Laval, QC), Cory Paterson (Montreal, QC), Jackson Payne (Calgary, AB), Sam Zakutney (Ottawa, ON) and Justin Karstadt (Toronto, ON).
鈥淚t鈥檚 really exciting and I love competing with Team Canada 鈥� they鈥檙e really supportive, just like my teammates and coaches here in Alabama,鈥� Olsen said.
鈥淲ith everybody (on Team Canada), I think that we鈥檙e all really strong and I鈥檓 excited about what鈥檚 coming in the future.鈥�
The World Championships will be exciting for Canada鈥檚 men鈥檚 and women鈥檚 artistic teams as they look to qualify for Tokyo, .
鈥淲ith podium performances for both at the recent Pan Am Games in Lima, we know that we belong amongst the top nations in the world, and are confident that our athletes, coaches, and staff will work well together to achieve their Olympic qualification objectives,鈥� Moss stated.
Olsen and the other women will travel to France for a training camp on Sept. 25, followed by a trip to Stuttgart three days later. Meantime, the men鈥檚 team will travel to Portugal for a pre-Worlds training camp on Sept. 23 before heading to Germany.
tom.zillich@surreynowleader.com
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