Yvonne Tousek
Encyclopedia
Yvonne Tousek is a retired artistic gymnast who competed for her native Canada
in the 1996 Summer Olympics
in Atlanta and the 2000 Summer Olympics
in Sydney
. She qualified to the all-around finals at both Games, placing 26th all-around in Atlanta and 32nd all-around in Sydney.
She also competed in four World Gymnastics Championships
: 1995, 1996, 1997 and 1999. Her best finish at a Worlds was 8th place on floor exercise at the 1999 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships
in Tianjin
, China
.
At the 1999 World Championships, she also performed an original gymnastics skill that bears her name in the artistic gymnastics
Code of Points
: the Tousek, a cross-wise back handspring on balance beam.
At the 1999 Pan American Games
in Winnipeg
, Manitoba
, Canada
, Tousek won floor exercise and uneven bars and placed 4th all-around.
In 2000, Tousek won the all-around, bars and floor exercise at the Canadian National Gymnastics Championships, and she placed second on vault
and balance beam.
During her elite career, Tousek trained with coach Elvira Saadi
at Cambridge Kips in Cambridge
, Ontario
.
, the freshman Tousek earned the uneven bars title at the 2001 NCAA women’s gymnastic championships.
She placed fifth on bars in the event finals at the 2002 and 2003 NCAA championships, and she placed fifth on balance beam in the 2004 NCAA championships.
She also scored perfect 10s on uneven bars in the 2003 UCLA vs. Arkansas meet and the 2004 UCLA vs. Michigan meet.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
in the 1996 Summer Olympics
1996 Summer Olympics
The 1996 Summer Olympics of Atlanta, officially known as the Games of the XXVI Olympiad and unofficially known as the Centennial Olympics, was an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1996 in Atlanta, Georgia, United States....
in Atlanta and the 2000 Summer Olympics
2000 Summer Olympics
The Sydney 2000 Summer Olympic Games or the Millennium Games/Games of the New Millennium, officially known as the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was celebrated between 15 September and 1 October 2000 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia...
in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
. She qualified to the all-around finals at both Games, placing 26th all-around in Atlanta and 32nd all-around in Sydney.
She also competed in four World Gymnastics Championships
World Gymnastics Championships
The Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique organises World Gymnastics Championships for each of the gymnastic disciplines:...
: 1995, 1996, 1997 and 1999. Her best finish at a Worlds was 8th place on floor exercise at the 1999 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships
1999 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships
The 34th Artistic Gymnastics World Championships were held at Tianjin Arena in Tianjin, China in 1999.-All-around:-Apparatus:-All-around:-Apparatus:...
in Tianjin
Tianjin
' is a metropolis in northern China and one of the five national central cities of the People's Republic of China. It is governed as a direct-controlled municipality, one of four such designations, and is, thus, under direct administration of the central government...
, China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
.
At the 1999 World Championships, she also performed an original gymnastics skill that bears her name in the artistic gymnastics
Artistic gymnastics
Artistic gymnastics is a discipline of gymnastics where gymnasts perform short routines on different apparatus, with less time for vaulting . The sport is governed by the Federation Internationale de Gymnastique , which designs the Code of Points and regulates all aspects of international elite...
Code of Points
Code of Points (artistic gymnastics)
A Code of Points is a rulebook that defines the scoring system for each level of competition in gymnastics. There is no unified, international code of points; every oversight organization—such as FIG , NCAA Gymnastics, and most national gymnastics federations—designs and employs its own unique Code...
: the Tousek, a cross-wise back handspring on balance beam.
At the 1999 Pan American Games
Pan American Games
The Pan-American or Pan American Games are a major event in the Americas featuring summer and formerly winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Pan American Games are the second largest multi-sport event after the Summer Olympics...
in Winnipeg
Winnipeg
Winnipeg is the capital and largest city of Manitoba, Canada, and is the primary municipality of the Winnipeg Capital Region, with more than half of Manitoba's population. It is located near the longitudinal centre of North America, at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers .The name...
, Manitoba
Manitoba
Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, Tousek won floor exercise and uneven bars and placed 4th all-around.
In 2000, Tousek won the all-around, bars and floor exercise at the Canadian National Gymnastics Championships, and she placed second on vault
Vault (gymnastics)
The vault is an artistic gymnastics apparatus, as well as the skill performed using that apparatus. Vaulting is also the action of performing a vault. Both male and female gymnasts perform the vault...
and balance beam.
During her elite career, Tousek trained with coach Elvira Saadi
Elvira Saadi
Elvira Saadi is a retired artistic gymnast from the former Soviet Union who is now an elite gymnastics coach in Canada....
at Cambridge Kips in Cambridge
Cambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
.
College Career
During her college career with the UCLA BruinsUCLA Bruins
The UCLA Bruins are the sports teams for University of California, Los Angeles . The Bruin men's and women's teams participate in NCAA Division I as part of the Pacific-12 Conference and the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation . For football, they are in the Football Bowl Subdivision of Division I...
, the freshman Tousek earned the uneven bars title at the 2001 NCAA women’s gymnastic championships.
She placed fifth on bars in the event finals at the 2002 and 2003 NCAA championships, and she placed fifth on balance beam in the 2004 NCAA championships.
She also scored perfect 10s on uneven bars in the 2003 UCLA vs. Arkansas meet and the 2004 UCLA vs. Michigan meet.