Canada's artistic gymnasts off to strong start at worlds
Ellie Black puts Team Canada in position to secure Olympic berth
The Canadian women's artistic gymnastics team is off to a strong start at the 2015 world championships in Glasgow, Scotland.
Canada's Ellie Black finished the day third in the all-around competition as well as the balance beam, while Brittany Rogers sits ninth in the vault and 15th in uneven bars.
Black scored a 57.299 in her all-around competition score, which had in the lead for a good portion of the day, before she dropped to third. If she can duplicate this type of performance in the all-around final on Oct. 29, she stands a good shot at a podium finish.
"Ellie is gaining a reputation around the world of being a real contender," said Kyle Shewfelt, Olympic gold medallist and CBC analyst. "At any competition, she is always a real threat to win."
Rogers of New Westminster, B.C., has been a huge asset to Team Canada, as she took a break from her duties at the University of Georgia to help the team attempt to qualify for the Rio Olympics.
Canada finished Day 1 in seventh place in the overall team competition with a score of 222.780. The finals for the team event go on Oct. 27. With a top eight finish in the team competition they will get a berth to the Olympics. With that berth, they will be granted five spots for individual competitors.
As the women's team event qualifying concluded Saturday, the U.S. snagged the lead with a total score 236.611.
The world championships will continue through until Nov.1. CBC will have coverage on the new Road to the Olympic Games show, on Oct. 31.