Ellie Black hasn’t just broken ground for Canadian gymnasts — she’s also torn ligaments, sprained ankles and racked up other injuries while tumbling into the history books.
“It was tough injuring myself at Worlds on vault and then coming home and getting surgery,” Black told Global News during a training session at the Genesis Centre in Calgary.
“I was stuck in a boot sitting around for a long time — for a month — so that was very different for me.”
The reigning national gymnastic champion and two-time Olympian is back on the beam and in hot pursuit of her third Olympic games, starting with this weekend’s Elite Canada competition.
Black competed for Canada at the 2012 London Games and the 2016 Rio Games, where she finished 5th place in the all-around competition — the highest finish in history for a Canadian gymnast at the Olympics.
“It’s really impressive,” Black’s coach David Kikuchi said. “There’s only one other female athlete in Canadian history who’s been a gymnast at three different Olympics so she would tie that record if she’s able to get there.”
The record is currently held by Teresa McDonnell, who competed at the 1968, 1972 and 1976 Summer Olympics.
Black, a 24-year-old Haligonian, has been at the top of her game in recent years.
In 2019 she was crowned the all-around Canadian Champion for the 6th time. She collected five medals, including two golds, at the Pan-Am Games in Lima, Peru, and cemented herself as the current face of Canadian gymnastics.
Here in Calgary, she isn’t the only one working her way back from injury.
“I’m going to be honest, I’m probably a six out of 10,” 18-year-old Brooklyn Moors admitted. “I’m just coming back from a back injury again.”
Moors is one of the gymnasts that helped Canada qualify a full team to Tokyo 2020.
However, none of their places on the Olympic squad are guaranteed.
She hopes to follow in her older sister, 2012 Olympian Victoria Moors,’ footsteps.
“This has been my dream since I can remember and just knowing that this is the year I can make that happen is pretty amazing,” Moors added.
While they’ll be competing against each other this weekend, that core group says the bond they’ve formed is helping them come back stronger.
Elite Canada runs February 7-9 at the Genesis Centre:
Friday, Feb 7:
- 9:00-15:30: Novice Competition Day 1
- 17:40-17:50: Opening Ceremony
- 17:50-20:20: Senior Competition Day 1
Saturday, Feb 8:
- 9:30-14:30: Junior Competition Day 1
- 16:25-19:25: Novice Competition Day 2
- 19:30: Awards – Novice AA and Apparatus Finals
Sunday, Feb 9:
- 9:35-11:35 Junior Competition Day 2
- 11:45: Awards – Junior AA and Apparatus Finals
- 14:05-16:05: Senior Competition Day 2
- 16:10: Awards – Senior AA and Apparatus Finals
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