Drawing, watching television, playing with her pet cats and dogs. (Gymnastics Ontario Facebook page, 26 Feb 2021)

English

East York Gymnastics Club: Toronto, ON, CAN

Lisa Cowan [club]

In February 2020 she tore the anterior cruciate ligament [ACL] in her knee and underwent surgery the following month. After returning to training at the end of 2020, she continued to have knee issues in 2021, including a bone infection that resulted from acupuncture. In December 2021 it was discovered that she had suffered another torn ACL in May 2021 and that she had also torn her meniscus, and she underwent surgery again in January 2022. She needed nine months of rehabilitation and returned to competition in January 2023. (collegegymnews.com, 16 Feb 2023; Instagram profile, 15 Oct 2022; thegymter.net, 02 Feb 2021; gymcan.org, 09 Feb 2020)

She took up gymnastics at age seven.

"I got into gymnastics from a school friend actually, when I was in senior kindergarten. She signed up, and we didn't have school in the afternoon, so I signed up with her."

To win a medal at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. (collegegymnews.com, 16 Feb 2023)

US gymnast Shawn Johnson East. (Gymnastics Ontario Facebook page, 26 Feb 2021)

OVERCOMING INJURIES
She was out of competition for three years between early 2020 and early 2023 due to knee injuries. During her recovery she was inspired by Canadian gymnast Christine Lee and Brazilian gymnast Rebeca Andrade, who both overcame multiple anterior cruciate ligament [ACL] injuries. "When going through my first surgery, I remember telling my mum I don't know how they managed to go through this twice and still do gymnastics. At that point I had no clue that I would face the same situation. It was super hard for me to take the day I found out I needed that second surgery, but knowing how amazing they are and how they were able to go through it and still be incredible gave me extra inspiration and motivation." (collegegymnews.com, 16 Feb 2023; Instagram profile, 24 Jan 2023)

HAIRSTYLE
She likes to style her hair with bangs. "They are definitely a lot of work, and I am very particular about how they are done, who can cut them, and how they have to be dried. I always bring hair scissors with me to competitions and camps just in case I need to perform some emergency touch-up. I would say that they play a factor into my uniqueness and energetic personality." (collegegymnews.com, 16 Feb 2023)

COLLEGE COMMITMENT
In February 2023 she announced her commitment to attend the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, UT, United States of America, from 2024. "I always felt that it [US collegiate gymnastics] was the ultimate reward for all of the years of hard work and dedication that we put into this sport. I also just love the energy that NCAA gymnastics brings, and as a very outgoing person, I always just felt like one day I would do it." (collegegymnews.com, 16 Feb 2023; deseret.com, 03 Feb 2023; Instagram profile, 02 Feb 2023)