Veteran
Presence
Canadian champions Kristina Vaculik and Nathan Gafuik
are looking to lead their teams to London 2012
By John Crumlish
THREE years have passed since Canada’s Kristina Vaculik competed in her first world championships, but some injury-induced downtime has
fostered a new level of self-assurance and willpower that should benefit her at the worlds in
Rotterdam in October.
“I don’t think it necessarily puts me at a disadvan-
tage,” says the 17-year-old Vaculik, who returned
to competition this year and placed first all-around
at the Canadian championships in Kamloops, B.C.,
in May. “During the time of my rehabilitation, I had
the opportunity to grow, mature and see the sport
in a new light. My ability to come back has given
me the confidence that I can be competitive in
Rotterdam.”
In 2007 Vaculik won her first Canadian all-
around title and competed at the worlds in
Stuttgart, where Canada’s 14th-place team finish
meant that only two female gymnasts could repre-
sent Canada at the 2008 Olympics. Early in 2008
Vaculik was diagnosed with osteochondritis disse-
cans in her right elbow, a condition in which the
blood supply to the area at the end of the bone is
cut off. She finished third in the Canadian Olympic
selection process, but declined the role as team
alternate. Following surgery in December 2008,
Vaculik returned to full training last July.
New goals, such as upgraded routines and
upcoming enrollment at Stanford University,
helped Vaculik retain her psychological edge in the
course of regaining her physical stamina.
“One of the biggest frustrations that comes with
injury is the ‘progression’ setback,” says Vaculik,
who won the Nadia Comaneci International
Invitational in February and two golds and two silvers at the Tournament of Masters World Cup in
March. “The time it takes to rehabilitate could have
been time spent learning new skills and improving
routines. You need to stay motivated and focus on
day-to-day progress. This was the biggest challenge. Setbacks happen in all sports, and I feel
very fortunate to be able to continue with gymnastics, and make it back to where I am today.”
THOMAS SCHRE YER ( 3)
Midway through the London 2012 Olympic
cycle, Vaculik says missing out on 2008 has given
her a fresh perspective on reaching her international potential.
“During the year leading up (to Beijing), I focused
my whole life on that one goal,” she says. “Having
that opportunity taken from me and then having to
pull out from the reserve position was really difficult. It has given me the drive to pursue the 2012
Olympics, however. My time in the sport is not
over yet, and I want to make the most of it.”
Vaculik’s summer training plans include adding
difficulty to her routines in time for Rotterdam,
which she says is the next logical move in her
recovery process. “Now that I have regained com-
petitive confidence in the routines which I had prior
to my injury, I can continue to build and focus on
the next stage,” she says.
For inspiration Vaculik looks to 1980 Olympic
all-around champion Yelena Davydova, her head
coach at Gemini Gymnastics in Oshawa, Ont.
Davydova, who just before turning 15 came close
to making the 1976 Soviet Olympic team, was
named to the 1978 Soviet worlds team in
Strasbourg. Upon arrival in Strasbourg, she realized
that her credentials and training access were those
of an alternate. “It was a bad surprise,” she recalls.
“Nobody explained anything to me. They just put
me on the side and that was it.” Davydova missed
the 1979 worlds because she was recovering from
a leg injury, but went on to win the all-around gold
at the Moscow 1980 Olympics.
“When I was injured, my coach (Gennady
Korshunov) believed in me the same way and didn’t
give up on me,” Davydova says. “In my mind I
knew I could still be on the team. I kept going.
That’s how I coach Kristina. I had to show her that
I believed in her and that whatever happened
before is behind. I had to look forward, too, and
come up with tasks on how to train her, and what
she could do to be the same gymnast as before, or
even better. So from my side I hope it gave her con-
fidence.”
Together Vaculik and Davydova are using Vacu-
lik’s showing in Kamloops as a gauge for their work
towards Rotterdam and ultimately London.
“Yelena was pretty pleased with my performance, but like me, she feels that there was room for
improvement,” Vaculik says. “Precision, confidence
and little details here and there are all things that
make a big difference on the world stage. If
Canada is going to qualify a team for 2012, we
need to be ready, and nationals were the first step
towards that objective.”
