Canada win first-ever World Championship medal with brilliant bronze

Canada tipped the form book upside down by surging to an inaugural women’s team medal with bronze at the 2022 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships. 

A fourth-placed finish in 2018 had been the closest Canada had ever come to the podium before but the quintet of Ellie Black, Sydney Turner, Laurie Denommee, Denelle Pedrick, and Emma Spence were the model of consistency in Liverpool to make history for their nation.  

Japan had looked to be mounting a late surge for the bronze medal but a trio of outstanding performances on beam in the final rotation sparked jubilant scenes as they defied even their own expectations. 

“We’re feeling great,” said Denomee. “It was unexpected but we did what we had to do, when we had to do it, so we’re very happy and very proud of our team.  

“We didn’t think we were going to make it on the podium, so we just came in and wanted to have fun and that’s what we did and I think it worked.”  

A solid start on floor laid the foundations for one of what would turn out to be a shock result, as the Canadians usurped the highly-fancied fancied Brazilians, Chinese, and Italian teams in Liverpool. 

An impressive vault rotation, including a huge 14.200 from Ellie Black, created the realisation that an historic result was on the cards.

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At that point the pressure could have easily told for the young team, which included four World Championship debutants, but it was certainly not showing as the uneven bars were negotiated before a final battle with beam failed to stop their march to the podium. 

It sealed a truly stunning result for a team who had qualified in the eighth and final available spot.

“We realised right before the last score came in, we did the math, and we started crying,” said Turner. 

“We gave it our all and just went for everything because when you’re coming in eighth coming into it, you know you can’t do any worse.” 

The result also secures an Olympic quota spot for Paris 2024, guaranteeing Canada five gymnasts in France. 

It is a result that changes the way Canada can now approach the next two years, something not lost on Black – appearing at her seventh World Artistic Gymnastics Championships.

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She said: “I am so proud of my team, I am so proud of what we did out there. 

“We were calm and collected and we had so much fun. To end on the podium, I am blown away. 

“It means we can really focus on our consistency and our difficulty and growing and building.  

“We don’t have to be stressed about it next year at Worlds. We really get an opportunity with this.   

“This is such a big step for us and we can set our sights to Paris and really upping our game.”