PARIS – Don’t call the Paris Olympics Ellie Black’s swan song.
At 28 years old, after a couple of injuries and four gruelling Olympics, questions naturally turn to the Halifax veteran’s competitive future. Black, for now, doesn’t sound ready to hang up the leotard.
“Coming into this Olympics, I feel probably the strongest that I have in a long time,” Black said Saturday at Bercy Arena in Paris, following the conclusion of the women’s vault final. “So that was amazing to be able to come into my fourth Olympics at 28 years old feeling maybe the strongest I have in a long time.”
Black wrapped up her 2024 Olympics in the vault final of the women’s artistic gymnastics, where she finished sixth. Competing with a taped left ankle, the Canadian sprang off the block for two solid vaults for an average score of 13.933.
Simone Biles of the United States captured her third gold medal of the Paris Games ahead of Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade in silver and Jade Carey, also of the United States, for bronze. Vancouver’s Shallon Olsen finished eighth with an average score of 13.366.
Black said the level of difficulty in her vaults isn’t quite as high as top competitors like Biles, but said she was happy with her performance and put a positive spin on the result.
“The last time I was in an Olympic vault final was in London (in 2012) and I face-planted, so this was definitely a step up from that,” she said.
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Black also competed in the women’s all-around, where she finished sixth, and helped the Canadian team, including Olsen, to a fifth-place finish in the team event, equalling its best-ever showing.
Black described the overall experience in Paris as “pretty amazing,” especially after the pandemic restrictions of the Tokyo 2020 Games.
“I think a lot about this Olympics was really just finding the joy in it, and the gratitude for the opportunity,” she said. “I feel I tried to soak it up as much as possible and I feel like we had amazing performances for Canada.”
Olsen, who struggled on the landing of the second vault, said Saturday wasn’t the performance she’d been hoping for. The 24-year-old, who was in her third Olympic vault final, also praised Black, who she said “always has my back.”
“Usually it’s just me in the vault final, so its super nice to have another Canadian alongside me, so that was really fun,” she said.
The night, however, belonged to Biles, who earned her seventh Olympic gold medal in high-flying style.
The 27-year-old averaged 15.300 for her signature Yurchenko double pike and Cheng vaults to claim a second gold on the event eight years after she triumphed in Rio de Janeiro.
Olsen said she appreciated getting the chance to compete against athletes like Biles, as well as the camaraderie between athletes on the floor.
“Some people treat Olympians like they’re not human, especially people like Simone,” she said. “She’s a crazy athlete but at the end of the day she’s still a human. It’s super nice to be out there with her and compete against her because she is one of the greats.”
No Canadian woman has ever won an artistic gymnastics medal. Black appeared on the cusp of achieving the feat on the balance beam in Tokyo, but she injured her ankle while training there. She won fourth, just behind Biles, with a plan B routine to achieve Canada’s best-ever Olympic result in any women’s gymnastic event.
Black said her feet have taken “a bit of a beating” during Paris, and reported being a little sore and bruised. But overall, her body is in relatively good shape this time, she said. As for her future, she’s taking it day by day.
“I’m looking forward to taking a rest,” she said, “but still continuing as long as my body can handle it and I’m still finding joy and I have goals I want to achieve.”
And what about the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028?
“Never rule anything out,” she said with a grin.
— With files from The Associated Press.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 3, 2024.