Veteran Ellie Black leads Canadian gymnastics team into Paris Olympics

Ellie Black competes in the uneven bars in the Women's Artistic Gymnastics competition of the 2024 Canadian Gymnastics Championships, in Gatineau, Que., on Friday, June 7, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang

TORONTO — Ellie Black is heading to a fourth Summer Games as part of Canada's gymnastics team competing at the Paris Olympics.

The 28-year-old from Halifax, who becomes the first Canadian artistic gymnast to appear at four Games, headlines the roster announced Friday by Gymnastics Canada and the Canadian Olympic Committee.

Black placed fourth in the balance beam final at the Tokyo Games in 2021 for Canada’s best Olympic result in any women’s artistic gymnastics event.

She also placed fifth in the women's all-around at the 2016 Rio Games and helped Canada to fifth in the team event at London 2012.

Black is Canada's most decorated Pan Am gymnast, winning 10 medals between the 2015 Games in Toronto and the 2019 Games in Lima, Peru. She was Canada's flag-bearer for the closing ceremony in Lima.

“I feel a lot of pride and gratitude heading into my fourth Olympic Games. That is an incredible accomplishment,” Black said in a release. “I wouldn’t be here without the support of my amazing team around me. I am excited to keep building with these girls and see what our team can do in Paris."

Vancouver's Shallon Olsen, heading into her third Olympics, will join Black along with women's artistic gymnasts Cassie Lee of Toronto, Ava Stewart of Bowmanville, Ont., and Aurélie Tran of Repentigny, Que.

Olsen, who will turn 24 just before the Olympics, won vault silver at the 2018 world championships, bronze in women’s vault at Lima 2019 and was the women’s vault champion at the 2018 Commonwealth Games.

Canada will also field a full men's artistic gymnastics team for the first time since 2008. René Cournoyer of Repentigny, Zachary Clay of Chilliwack, B.C., Félix Dolci of Laval, Que., William Émard of Laval and Samuel Zakutney of Ottawa make up that team.

Cournoyer was Canada's only male gymnast at the Tokyo Games. He won bronze on horizontal bar and contributed to the team's silver medal at the 2023 Pan Am Games.

Dolci will make his Olympic debut in Paris. The 22-year-old won the men’s all-around at Santiago 2023 — Canada’s first men’s all-around champion at the Pan Am Games in 60 years — and at the 2024 Canadian Championships.

Sophiane Méthot of Varennes, Que., will represent Canada in trampoline. She is the 2024 Canadian champion and the 2017 world championship bronze medallist.

The gymnasts qualified for Team Canada based on their performances at the 2024 Canadian Championships, held from June 6-9 in Gatineau, Que.

Artistic gymnastics take place from July 27 to Aug. 5 and trampoline gymnastics will be held on Aug. 2.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 28, 2024.

The Canadian Press