Gymnastics Canada – GUADALAJARA, ESP (June 4, 2017) – Canadian rhythmic gymnasts competed against some of the world’s best this weekend at the 2017 World Challenge Cup in Guadalajara, Spain.

2017 Canadian Champion, Carmen Whelan of Aurora, ON and teammate Katherine Uchida of Toronto, represented Canada in the individual competition. Whelan finished the competition in 23rd place overall with a final score of 55.150 while Uchida finished with 50.200 points.

The Canadian group, Elizabet Belittchenko, Renna Cukier, Cleo Page, Vanessa Panov, Alexandra Udachina and Anastasia Shanko, also took to the floor this weekend competing in the five hoops, and 3 balls and 2 ropes routines. The women put their best foot forward but it wasn’t enough to advance to the finals, finishing in 12th place overall with a score of 25.250 points.

QUOTES:

Carmen Whelan – Aurora, ON

“I’m pretty satisfied with how this competition went. There were lots of ups and downs over the weekend but I had two strong performances and only a couple mistakes in the other two. In the end, I was happy with how I dealt with the mistakes and was able to pull myself together and continue fighting until the competition finished. I have received helpful feedback from my coaches and judges on small details that will make a big difference in my performances and can help boost my score in the future.” 

Katherine Uchida – Toronto, ON

“This weekend wasn’t my strongest competition, I didn’t feel as sharp or alert as I usually do but that happens to everyone. I had so much fun performing a Spanish clubs routine in front of a Spanish audience but unfortunately I couldn’t hold myself until the end. There is room for improvement but I am proud that after my mistakes, I was able to pick myself up and keep going.”

Elizabet Belittchenko (on behalf of group) – Toronto, ON

“This was one of the most exciting competitions we’ve ever been a part of. The crowd was really loud and supportive and although we made some mistakes in both routines, we know what we need to improve on for the next competitions. We are looking forward to our training camp, which will give us the opportunity to focus on fixing the routine and executing it as best we can. We plan to perfect our elements and synchronization so we can be prepared for the competitions to come.”

FULL CANADIAN RESULTS:

Carmen Whelan: Hoop – 15.050, Ball – 11.300, Clubs – 15.650, Ribbon – 13.150

Katherine Uchida: Hoop – 13.150, Ball – 12.850, Clubs – 11.900, Ribbon – 12.300

Group: Hoops – 12.800, 3 Balls & 2 Ropes – 12.450

ABOUT GYMNASTICS CANADA

First established in 1969, Gymnastics Canada is the national governing body for the sport of gymnastics in Canada. Gymnastics Canada works closely with the twelve Provincial Federations and the 700 local clubs to provide a broad range of programs and services to meet the needs of all participants. From athlete development, to coaching and judging education, Gymnastics Canada sets the operating standards and practices for the sport in Canada. Our mandate is to promote and provide positive and diverse gymnastics experience through the delivery of quality and safe gymnastics programming. Visit www.gymcan.org for more information, or follow us @CDNgymnastics.

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For more information, contact:

Julie Forget
Director, Communications and Marketing
Gymnastics Canada
Cell: 819.210.2064
Email: jforget@gymcan.org