Led by Félix Dolci, Canadian men's gymnastics could be on the comeback trail
2-time Olympian Hibbert says team's 1st Olympics since 2008 provides key visibility
For the first time since 2008, a Canadian men's gymnastics team is competing at the Olympics.
Led by Pan Am Games champion Félix Dolci, the plan is to not wait that long again.
The team qualified for the Olympics at the Pan Am Games last October, when Dolci was the first Canadian to win Pan Am artistic gymnastics gold since Wilhelm Weiler in 1963.
On Saturday, Dolci, the 22-year-old from Laval, Que., led all Canadians with 81.498 points as they placed third in their qualifying group and squeaked into the team final, placing eighth overall. Dolci will also compete in the all-around final alongside Rene Cournoyer.
The men's team final goes at 11:30 a.m. ET on Monday, while the all-around final is the same time on Wednesday.
Curtis Hibbert, the first Canadian man to ever win a world-championship medal, said he sees podium potential in Dolci.
"The skill level's there. He's well-rounded. We've had gymnasts that have very strong pommel horse or a couple of events are very strong. But to have someone like him come out the way he's performing, definitely he has the opportunity," Hibbert said.
WATCH | Dolci wins Pan Am gold:
And while it seems there could be plenty of athletic success in Dolci's future, his greater power could be in reintroducing his sport to Canadians.
It starts with the squad's increased visibility in Paris that, thus far, has already brought back supporters like Hibbert who competed for Team Canada at the 1988 and 1992 Olympics.
"These guys are great. They all look good, so that's a big bonus for marketing and whatever. Hopefully they can get some sponsorship and stay in the limelight," Hibbert said.
"The energy that they have and definitely you can see their love for the sport. They're fantastic."
Cournoyer's companions
The Canadian men's gymnastics program has already seen growth from Tokyo, when Rene Cournoyer was its lone competitor, placing 55th in the all-around competition.
Cournoyer, the 27-year-old from Repentigny, Que., said it's "incredible" to return for his second Games and get a shot in the team event.
"When I'm at the event, I am not by myself any more. I have a whole crew cheering for me and supporting me if anything were to happen. To enjoy this moment together, support each other and have fun together is going to make the whole experience much more enjoyable," he said.
Entering Paris, Cournoyer said the team's "absolute goal" was to reach the team final.
But short of that, the mere presence of Canadian men's gymnasts at the Olympics could help boost participation in the sport throughout the country.
"I think at the end of the day, we have to see gymnastics more than once every four years. It's a different, tough sport and it takes a lot of commitment. And maybe our time will come back again where people really love the sport and a lot of the guys choose it over basketball and hockey and everything else," Hibbert said.
Building a lineage
The Canadian women's team has been a consistent participant in the Olympics, led by Ellie Black who has competed at each Games since 2012. Black's fourth-place finish in the balance beam final at Tokyo 2020 is the best-ever gymnastics placement for a Canadian woman.
Kyle Shewfelt remains Canada's lone Olympic medallist in gymnastics after winning gold in the floor exercise in 2004 in Athens.
"He still attracted a lot of people to the sport, [but it] kind of dwindled off. But I think every Olympics is the time for us to grab the attention of the public. And the public loves gymnastics. They love watching it. It's just keeping it in the eye of the public over each year."
Throughout it all, he maintained some connection to gymnastics by opening a gym in Mississauga, Ont., and volunteering elsewhere. These days, he says he's more invested in swimming as 16-year-old son Samuel pursues his own Olympic dream.
He said the national gymnastics federation should incorporate its retired athletes more into the current program to pass on their knowledge from both physical and mental standpoints.
"Maybe we have a little bit of a gap there where we haven't had our athletes like myself stay within the sport. But hopefully we can start doing that and the program can start doing that and they'll develop more depth," Hibbert said.
Perhaps, with a strong showing in Paris, the Canadian gymnastics lineage can begin anew.
