William Émard (born 17 March 2000)[2] is a Canadian artistic gymnast. He represented Canada at the 2024 Olympic Games. At the 2021 World Championships, he finished eighth in the all-around final, marking the best result for a Canadian male gymnast in World Championship history.[3][4]

William Émard
Country represented Canada
Born (2000-03-17) 17 March 2000 (age 24)[1]
Laval, Quebec, Canada
Height160 cm (5 ft 3 in)
DisciplineMen's artistic gymnastics
LevelSenior international elite
Years on national team2016–present (CAN)
ClubLaval Excellence
Head coach(es)Adrian Balan
Medal record
Men's artistic gymnastics
Representing  Canada
Pan American Games
Silver medal – second place 2023 Santiago Team
Pan American Championships
Silver medal – second place 2023 Medellín Team
Silver medal – second place 2023 Medellín Rings
Pacific Rim Championships
Silver medal – second place 2018 Medellín Team
FIG World Cup
Event 1st 2nd 3rd
World Challenge Cup 1 2 1
Total 1 2 1

Senior career

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2018

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Émard joined the senior Canadian national team in 2018. However, his early career was met with adversity in injury form. At the 2018 Pacific Rim Championships he injured himself during warm up and then spent several months in recovery for a knee injury and a labrum tear in the shoulder.[5]

2019–2020

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Émard competed at the Paris Challenge Cup in September where he qualified to the event finals on floor exercise, rings, and vault. The following month he competed at the 2019 World Championships where he helped Canada finish 17th as a team during qualifications. Throughout 2019 and 2020 Émard had been suffering from a knee injury that kept him limited in his training.[6]

2021

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Émard's first International success came in the 2021 FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Cup series where he competed at Koper and Mersin. In Koper he claimed the silver on floor exercise and in Mersin he won bronze of floor exercise, silver on rings, and gold on vault.[7] In October he competed at the 2021 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships, qualifying 11th in the all-around, 6th on rings, and 8th on vault. He placed 8th in the all-around final[8] and 7th on rings.[9][10]

2022

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Émard competed at the 2022 World Championships where he helped the Canadian team finish 10th during qualifications.

2023

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Émard competed at the 2023 Pan American Championships. On the first day of competition he helped the Canadian team qualify to the team final. Additionally he won silver on rings, which was the first Pan American Championships medal won by a Canadian on the apparatus.[11] During the team final Émard helped Canada win the silver medal behind the United States.

In October Émard competed at the 2023 World Championships. During qualifications he helped Canada finish fourth, which qualified Canada a team berth to the 2024 Olympic Games, a feat last achieved by the Canadian men's gymnastics team in 2008.[12] During the team final Émard contributed scores on all apparatuses except pommel horse towards Canada's seventh place finish.

2024

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In late June Émard was named to the team to represent Canada at the 2024 Summer Olympics alongside Zachary Clay, René Cournoyer, Félix Dolci, and Samuel Zakutney.[13] While there he helped Canada finish eighth as a team.[14]

Competitive history

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Year Event Team AA FX PH SR VT PB HB
Junior
2016 Olympic Hopes Cup     7    
2017 Elite Canada     4
UCIC Calgary    
Canadian Championships            
Guimaraes Tournament      
Junior Japan International Tournament  
Senior
2018 Elite Canada 6 6   5
UCIC Calgary        
Pacific Rim Championships  
2019 Elite Canada      
UCIC Calgary 5
Canadian Championships  
Paris Challenge Cup 7 7 8
World Championships 17
2021 Koper Challenge Cup  
Mersin Challenge Cup      
World Championships 8 7 8
2022 Paris Challenge Cup 5
World Championships 10
2023
Pan American Championships   7  
RomGym Trophy        
World Championships 7
Pan American Games   16 6 8
2024 Elite Canada     15 4
Canadian Championships     14   7 5
Olympic Games 8

References

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  1. ^ "50th FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Championships Entry List (Men)". Longines Timing. Retrieved 6 November 2021.
  2. ^ "NATIONAL TEAMS WILLIAM EMARD". GYMCAN.org. Retrieved 22 October 2021.
  3. ^ "William Émard 8e au concours général des mondiaux de gymnastique" [William Émard 8th in the all-around at the World Gymnastics Championships]. Radio Canada (in French). 22 October 2021.
  4. ^ "William Emard se classe 8e au concours complet des mondiaux de gymnastique" [William Emard places 8th in the world gymnastics all-around competition]. RDS (in French). 22 October 2021.
  5. ^ "WILLIAM EMARD". International Gymnastics Federation. Retrieved 22 October 2021.
  6. ^ "Canada's Emard on quarantine: "There were positive points, too, in isolation"". International Gymnast. 1 July 2020.
  7. ^ "WILLIAM EMARD". gymnastics.sport. Retrieved 22 October 2021.
  8. ^ "MEN'S ALL-AROUND FINAL - RESULTS". gym.longinestiming. Retrieved 22 October 2021.
  9. ^ "Mondiaux de gymnastique : William Émard termine 7e en finale aux anneaux" [Gymnastics Worlds: William Émard finished 7th in the rings final]. Radio Canada (in French). 23 October 2021.
  10. ^ Fontaine, Mathieu (23 October 2021). "William Émard termine septième aux anneaux au Japon" [William Émard finished seventh on the rings in Japan]. La Presse (in French).
  11. ^ "Team USA and Yul Moldauer shin on first day of Pan American Gymnastics (Results)". Panam Sports. 27 May 2023.
  12. ^ "Canada sending men's gymnastics team to Olympics for 1st time since 2008". CBC News. 1 October 2023.
  13. ^ "Team Canada gymnasts setting the bar high for Paris 2024". Canadian Olympic Committee. 28 June 2024.
  14. ^ "2024 Olympic Games Men's Results". The Gymternet. 5 August 2024.
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