This week features Olympians returning to the Canadian National Championships. The competition will kick off with podium training on Monday May 26th. The Junior and Senior Elite competition begins on Wednesday May 28th.

This competition is not just a matter of national pride. An athlete’s performance at Canadian Championships will be taken into consideration for national team membership and international assignments

SENIOR ELITE SCHEDULE

Day 1 - Wednesday, May 28: 7:45 pm ET/5:45 pm MT (local time)

Day 2 - Friday, May 30: 7:00 pm ET/ 5:00 pm MT (local time)

You can watch the competition here: https://app.hometeamlive.com/#/home/events/49

PREVIEW

The field for Canadian Championships is stacked with veterans.

Last year’s All-Around, High Bar, Parallel Bars, and Floor winner, Felix Dolci will be returning to the competition. Dolci was a key member of the 2024 Paris Olympics team for Canada, helping them place 8th in the Team Competition and finishing 20th in the All-Around. Dolci will be joined by the rest of his Paris 2024 teammates–René Cournoyer (17th place finisher in the 2024 Olympic All-Around), William Emard, Samuel Zakutney, and Zachary Clay. 

These athletes are no strangers to Canadian Championships. Cournoyer is the reigning Canadian Championships silver medalist in the All-Around and on High Bar and Still Rings, as well as the reigning bronze medalist on floor. Emard rounded out the all around podium in 2024 Canadian Championships and also took home a silver on Floor and a bronze on Rings. Zakutney finished fourth, also earning a silver on Parallel Bars and a bronze on High bar. Clay was the silver medalist on Pommel Horse, as well as the seventh place All Around finisher.

NCAA fans will recognize competitors Aidan Li (Cal), Yanni Chronopoulos (Nebraska), and Evgeny Siminiuc (Michigan), who are also returning to Canadian Championships this year. In addition to his NCAA accomplishments, Li is the reigning gold medalist on Pommel Horse. Chronopoulos finished fifth in the All Around in 2024 and took home a bronze on Pommel Horse. Siminiuc finished in sixth and took home bronze on Parallel Bars and High Bar.

One other returning athletes of note include Chris Kaji, who won gold on Rings at 2024 Championships, Jayson Rampersad who was part of the 2023 Canadian World Championships team, and Kenji Tamane who won the 2023 Canadian all-around title. . 

While these nine athletes are all likely medal contenders, there are plenty of other talented athletes who will be competing. The full start list is below.

Article by: Matt Woodward

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