Posted at 8:00 a.m.
The presence of Laurie Denommée at the World Gymnastics Championships in Liverpool has almost become a recurring gag in the Canadian team.
On her first selection for the Worlds in 2018, the athlete from Saint-Eustache injured her ankle the day before her departure for Qatar, which prevented her from taking part in the competition.
After a long rehabilitation, the pandemic and the Tokyo Olympics, where she had to be content with the role of substitute, Denommée thought she knew her baptism at the highest level last year, at the Tokyo Worlds.
But a COVID-19 infection, several weeks before the event, upset the plans. As her detection tests always came back positive, she requested a medical opinion certifying her non-contagion. In vain, since the Japanese authorities refused his entry into the country a day before his flight.
The pills were hard to swallow. “I never gave up, and I did well,” welcomed the young woman during a virtual conversation from England on Wednesday afternoon.
It’s as if my first world championships really had to be a great experience. Basically, it was ups and downs for four years. But it was worth it.
Laurie Denommee
At the request of the journalist, Denommée grabbed the bronze medal received the day before at the end of the final of the team competition and showed it to the camera.
With three-time Olympian Ellie Black and rookies Denelle Pedrick, Emma Spence and Sydney Turner, just 17 years old, the Quebecer brought Canada a very first medal at this event.
This historic podium also secures the country a place at the Paris Olympics in 2024. This early qualification will allow Canadian gymnasts to breathe at the next selection competitions such as the 2023 Worlds and the 2024 Pan American Championships.
“We will take these competitions as practice. We will try new things. It’s less pressure on that side. »
Nothing to lose
Narrowly qualified for the eight-country final, the Canadians set off with the feeling of having nothing to lose.
“Our goal was really just to have fun,” Denommée said. We said to ourselves: “We can’t be worse than eighth. We are only going to do what we are capable of.” »
After a good performance in qualifying (22e), the 22-year-old gymnast started the ball rolling, her favorite apparatus, in the final.
“No matter the aircraft, it’s hard to come first. You want to start the competition well so that the other girls have less pressure. It’s still a lot of pressure, but I like the ground a lot and I have confidence in what I’m doing. So I wanted to show what I was capable of and also have fun.”
Led by Black, Canada had a consistent 12 out of 12 drills, capitalizing on falls and mistakes from higher-ranked nations to climb to third place behind the United States and Great Britain. “I think a lot of everyone was surprised,” said Denommée, who limited herself to her floor performance in the final. Both us and other countries. »
PHOTO BEN STANSALL, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
Laurie Denommée on the podium (second from left)
The celebrations were rich in emotions. ” I do not believe it ! Even today, I don’t really believe it. I see the medal, but I don’t understand. I was super happy, really proud of the whole team. Everyone worked hard. We encouraged each other, we supported each other throughout the competition. »
It’s just an amazing moment. I never thought I would experience this, especially not at my first world championships.
Laurie Denommee
Something to put into perspective his disappointments of recent years. “I don’t think it erases them. It even marked me a lot. It hurt me a lot when it happened. But I got here today because of it. It motivated me and forced me to continue. »
Qualification for Paris is not a guarantee for individual gymnasts. Coaches will obviously wait until 2024 to select the top five performing athletes heading into the Games.
“The next few years will be really about doing well in competition and trying to show that I have my place in the team,” concluded Denommée.
A new trainer
Denommée had to overcome another obstacle two months before the Worlds: the departure of her coach Frank Kistler, who had become coach of the Swiss women’s team. The native Frenchman had been directing it since 2015 at the Mégagym club in Blainville. The Commonwealth Games silver medalist in the vault turned to Claude Pelletier at the Wimgym club in the West Island. “As soon as I arrived, I told them: ‘I want to do the world championships.’ They helped me a lot in that and we prepared well. »
A “healthier” environment
At 22, Denommée considers herself in the middle age of the best gymnasts in the world. At one time, the trend favored teenage girls: “In 2012 or 2016, you had your peak performance at 16-17 years old. Sport has become healthier, a little less intense. We really try to protect gymnasts and athletes, who are able to stay in sport longer. A few years ago, I would have told you that I am very old… ”In the same vein, a new phenomenon has been observed in Liverpool: the gymnasts of the NCAA, a circuit where the number of training hours is capped to 20 and where the technical constraints are lower, continue to shine at the highest level. The United States had three in their ranks, unprecedented. Two of the five Canadian women at the Worlds also play on the American university circuit. “Usually, they go there more towards the end of their career, but it seems that it changes a little, underlined Denommée. Gymnasts are beginning to see that it’s possible to do both. It’s the fun. She is doing a bachelor’s degree in kinesiology at the University of Montreal and then plans to do a master’s degree in sports nutrition.