Canada’s women’s artistic gymnastics team earned a silver medal at the Commonwealth Games on Saturday, achieving a score of 157.300. This marks the second consecutive day that Canada has reached the podium, demonstrating the team’s depth, consistency, and resilience across all four apparatus.
The silver-medal winning team includes Ellie Black, Gabrielle Black, Lia-Monica Fontaine, Lia Redick, and Alyssa Guerrier-Calixte.
Individual Performances and Qualifications
Lia-Monica Fontaine led the Canadian team on vault with a strong performance. Ellie Black delivered one of the team’s top routines on the balance beam, while Lia Redick showcased a dynamic performance on the floor exercise. Alyssa Guerrier-Calixte also contributed a significant vault score, and Gabrielle Black made a valuable contribution to the team’s overall performance.
Ellie Black expressed her excitement about competing again, noting that it was her first all-around competition since her return and that her training for vault and floor was still progressing. She conveyed pride in being back in all-around competition, being part of the team, and experiencing the Commonwealth Games once more.
Both Ellie Black and Lia-Monica Fontaine advanced to the women’s all-around final following their qualification performances. Black topped the standings with a score of 53.400, qualifying first overall, while Fontaine secured her spot in fifth place with a score of 52.050.
Canada’s strong individual qualifications also resulted in multiple apparatus final spots. Fontaine led the vault standings with a score of 13.750. Ellie Black qualified for the uneven bars final in second place with 13.850.
Both Ellie Black and Lia-Monica Fontaine will also represent Canada in the balance beam final, having qualified fifth and sixth, respectively, with scores of 12.900 and 12.850. Lia Redick was named second reserve on uneven bars with a score of 12.650.
Canadian Successes at the Games
The Canadian men’s artistic gymnastics team previously secured a gold medal on Friday at the Glasgow International Arena, finishing with 241.400 points. This marked Canada’s first Commonwealth gymnastics team title in 20 years. The team was composed of Félix Dolci, William Émard, Ethan Ikeda, Jordan Carroll, and René Cournoyer.
In other events, Oliver Dawson from Grand Prairie, Alta., finished fourth in the men’s 100-metre breaststroke final, missing the podium by .05 seconds with a time of 59.70. Ella Jansen of Burlington, Ont., placed eighth in the women’s 200-metre freestyle with a time of 1:59.18. Paralympian Emma Van Dyk was seventh in the 200M S14 freestyle event, clocking a time of 2:31.24.
Canada has accumulated four medals in the first two days of the Commonwealth Games, including one gold and one silver. The Commonwealth Games, which run through August 2, feature 3,000 athletes from 74 countries and territories.
Para Swimming and Wheelchair Basketball Achievements
Earlier in the competition, Mary Jibb of Muskoka, Ont., earned a bronze medal in the women’s 200-metre individual medley SM10. Following this, Jack Gill of Brockville, Ont., secured a second Para swimming bronze in the men’s 100-metre butterfly S10 final. Jibb noted her pride in securing the medal and highlighted the integration of Para swimming into the Games as a step forward for the Paralympic movement.
Canada’s 3×3 wheelchair basketball teams also began their campaigns with victories. The women’s team, defending their Commonwealth Games gold, defeated South Africa 19-3, with Élodie Tessier scoring 10 points and grabbing four rebounds. The men’s team, led by Reed Michael De’aeth’s eight points and 11 rebounds, beat Kenya 16-3. Both Canadian wheelchair basketball teams are scheduled to face their English counterparts on Sunday.
Source: sportsnet.ca
