Canada advances to final men's Olympic gymnastics qualifier
2016 Rio Games test event slated for April
Hard work and maintaining a confident approach will be top priorities for the Canadian national men's gymnastics team over the next five months.
At the end of a nerve-wracking Monday at the artistic world championships, the squad placed 15th to earn a berth at the final qualification event for the 2016 Rio Olympics.
Canada will compete against seven other countries for the final four Olympic berths. Japan, China, Great Britain, Russia, United States, Switzerland, Brazil and South Korea clinched a spot as the top eight countries from the world competition.
I expected to see a team that competed with a little more confidence.- Canadian national men's gymnastics team director Tony Smith on the squad's effort at the world championships
Japan topped the 24-team event with 357.027 points, well ahead of Canada's score of 339.781.
"I think the team held back a little bit and were concerned about making mistakes instead of showing what they were really capable of," Canadian national team director Tony Smith said in a statement released by Gymnastics Canada.
"I expected to see a team that competed with a little more confidence. They had worked hard enough to go out and show off as opposed to go out there and hope for the best."
Canadian team member Kevin Lytwyn of Stoney Creek, Ont., who was making his fifth appearance at the world event, said he and his teammates must continue working hard.
"There's no time off, we need to stay healthy and keep going," he said.
Smith did single out Vancouver's Scott Morgan for his 13th-place performance on the floor exercise and Rene Cournoyer's 45th-place finish among 182 competitors.
The Canadian women's team, which has already punched its ticket for Rio after finishing seventh in the qualifier earlier at the world championships, will battle the U.S., China and Russia, among others, in Tuesday's eight-country team final in Glasgow, Scotland.
Canadian men's team roster
- Scott Morgan, Vancouver
- Ken Ikeda, Abbotsford, B.C.
- Kevin Lytwyn, Stoney Creek, Ont.
- Hugh Smith, Halifax
- Rene Cournoyer, Repentigny, Que.
- Anderson Loran, Saskatoon