Ellie Black facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Ellie Black
Black in 2021
Personal information
Full name	Elsabeth Ann Black
Nickname(s)	Ellie
Country represented	Canada
Born	(1995-09-08) September 8, 1995 (age 29) Halifax, Nova Scotia
Height	157 cm (5 ft 2 in)
Discipline	Women's artistic gymnastics
Level	Senior international elite
Years on national team	2010–present (CAN)
Club	Halifax Alta Gymnastics
Head coach(es)	Keiji Yamanaka, David Kikuchi
Eponymous skills	Black (G): Piked clear-hip Tkatchev with ½ turn (Uneven bars)
Medal record Women's artistic gymnastics Representing  Canada World Championships Silver 2017 Montreal All-around Silver 2022 Liverpool Balance beam Bronze 2022 Liverpool Team Commonwealth Games Gold 2014 Glasgow Balance beam Gold 2018 Gold Coast Team Gold 2018 Gold Coast All-around Silver 2014 Glasgow Vault Silver 2018 Gold Coast Vault Bronze 2014 Glasgow Floor exercise Pan American Games Gold 2015 Toronto All-around Gold 2015 Toronto Balance beam Gold 2015 Toronto Floor exercise Gold 2019 Lima All-around Gold 2019 Lima Vault Silver 2015 Toronto Team Silver 2019 Lima Team Silver 2019 Lima Balance beam Bronze 2015 Toronto Vault Bronze 2019 Lima Uneven bars Pacific Rim Championships Gold 2014 Richmond Vault Silver 2014 Richmond Team Bronze 2014 Richmond All-around Summer Universiade Gold 2017 Taipei Balance beam Silver 2013 Kazan Floor exercise Silver 2017 Taipei Team Bronze 2013 Kazan Balance beam Bronze 2017 Taipei All-around Bronze 2017 Taipei Uneven bars FIG World Cup Event 1st 2nd 3rd All-Around World Cup 0 1 3 World Challenge Cup 6 5 2

Ellie Black (born September 8, 1995) is a famous Canadian gymnast. She has competed in four Olympic Games: 2012, 2016, 2020, and 2024. Ellie made history in 2017 by winning a silver medal in the all-around competition at the World Championships. This was the first time a Canadian gymnast had won an all-around medal at this event!

In 2022, she helped the Canadian women's gymnastics team win a bronze medal at the World Championships. This was also the first team medal ever for Canada in gymnastics at the Worlds. Ellie also won a silver medal on the balance beam at the 2022 World Championships. She is a two-time Pan American Games all-around champion (in 2015 and 2019) and has won the Canadian national all-around title six times. At the 2020 Olympics, Ellie placed fourth in the balance beam final, which is the best Olympic result for a Canadian female gymnast. She is known as the most decorated Canadian female gymnast in history.

Early Life and Starting Gymnastics

Ellie Black was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia, on September 8, 1995. Her parents are Thomas and Katharine Black. Ellie started competitive gymnastics when she was nine years old. She was inspired after watching the 2004 Summer Olympics. At first, she trained in both gymnastics and figure skating.

Junior Gymnastics Career

Ellie began competing at the junior level in 2008. At Elite Canada, a big event for young Canadian gymnasts, she won a bronze medal on vault. In 2010, at the Canadian Championships, she won another bronze on vault and a gold medal on the balance beam.

Senior Gymnastics Career

2011: A Year of Recovery

Ellie was old enough to compete as a senior in 2011. However, she missed the whole season because of injuries. She had surgery for a broken toe and also dislocated her elbow.

2012: Olympic Debut

In 2012, Ellie made her senior debut. She won gold on vault at Elite Canada and the International Gymnix. She also won her first FIG World Cup medals, taking gold on both vault and floor exercise. These great results helped her get chosen for the 2012 Olympic team.

At the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, Ellie helped the Canadian team reach the team finals for the first time since 1984. The team finished fifth, which was Canada's best-ever result. In the vault final, Ellie unfortunately injured her ankle and had to stop competing.

2013: First National Title

After recovering, Ellie won a bronze medal at a FIG World Cup event in Tokyo. She then won three gold medals at the Ljubljana World Challenge Cup. In May, Ellie won her first national all-around title at the Canadian Championships. She also won gold on balance beam and silver on floor. At the Summer Universiade, she won a bronze medal on beam and a silver on floor. This was the first time a Canadian gymnast had won a medal at the Universiade since 1983.

2014: Commonwealth Games Gold

Ellie won gold medals in the all-around and floor exercise at the International Gymnix. She also helped Canada win a team silver medal at the Pacific Rim Championships. Ellie won her second Canadian all-around title and became the national champion on uneven bars.

At the 2014 Commonwealth Games, Ellie won a gold medal on the balance beam. She also won silver on vault and bronze on floor exercise. Later, at the World Championships, she placed ninth in the all-around. This was the highest placement ever for a Canadian in a World or Olympic all-around final at that time.

2015: Pan American Games Star

Ellie Black (left) and the Canadian team at the 2015 Pan American Games

In 2015, Ellie won her third straight Canadian all-around title. She then competed at her first 2015 Pan American Games in Toronto. The Canadian team won a silver medal. Ellie won the gold medal in the all-around, becoming the first non-American woman to win this title since 1983. She also won gold on balance beam and floor exercise, and a bronze on vault. Ellie was the most decorated Canadian athlete at the 2015 Pan American Games!

At the 2015 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships, the Canadian team finished sixth, their best-ever team finish. This also meant Canada qualified a full team for the 2016 Olympics. Ellie finished seventh in the all-around final, setting another record for Canada.

2016: Best Olympic All-Around Finish

Ellie won a bronze medal at the American Cup and a silver medal at the Canadian Championships. She was chosen for her second 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. The Canadian team finished ninth, just missing the team final. However, Ellie finished fifth in the all-around final. This was the highest-ever finish for a Canadian gymnast in the Olympic all-around!

2017: World Championships Silver

Ellie won her fourth national all-around title in 2017. At the Summer Universiade, she helped Canada win a silver medal and also won individual bronze in the all-around, and gold on beam.

At the 2017 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Montreal, Ellie made history again. She won the silver medal in the all-around final, becoming the first Canadian to win an all-around medal at the World Championships!

2018: Commonwealth Games Champion

Ellie competed at her second Commonwealth Games. She helped Canada win a team gold medal for the first time since 1990. Ellie also won gold in the all-around competition and silver on vault. In May, she won her fifth national all-around title. At the Paris World Challenge Cup, she won medals on all four events: silver on vault, bronze on uneven bars, gold on balance beam, and silver on floor exercise. At the World Championships, Canada placed fourth in the team final, their highest-ever team finish.

2019: Pan American Games History

Ellie won her sixth national all-around title in 2019. She also won gold on floor exercise, silver on uneven bars, and bronze on balance beam. At the 2019 Pan American Games, the Canadian team won a silver medal. Ellie defended her all-around title, becoming the first gymnast to win back-to-back Pan American Games all-around titles! She also won gold on vault, bronze on uneven bars, and silver on balance beam. With nine Pan American Games medals, including five gold, she became the most decorated Canadian gymnast in Pan American Games history. She was chosen to be Canada's flag-bearer for the closing ceremony.

At the 2019 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships, the Canadian team placed fifth, which meant Canada qualified a full team for the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. Ellie finished fourth in the individual all-around final, very close to a bronze medal. She injured her ankle during this final and had to withdraw from the balance beam final.

2020-2021: Olympic Comeback

Ellie continued to compete, even with the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2021, she won her seventh national all-around title. She was named to Canada's 2020 Olympic team. At the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, the Canadian team finished tenth. Ellie qualified for the all-around and balance beam finals. Even though she injured her ankle again before the all-around final, she still competed in the balance beam final and finished in fourth place, just missing a medal.

2022: More World Medals

In 2022, Ellie won the all-around title at Elite Canada. She also won a bronze medal on vault at the City of Jesolo Trophy. At the Paris World Challenge Cup, she performed a brand new skill on the uneven bars. This skill, a "piked clear-hip Tkatchev with ½ turn," was named the Black after her in the Code of Points!

Ellie competed at the 2022 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Liverpool. She helped Canada win a bronze medal in the team final, which was Canada's first team medal ever at the World Championships! This medal also secured a spot for Canada at the 2024 Olympic Games. Ellie finished fifth in the all-around final and won a silver medal in the balance beam final.

2024: Fourth Olympics

In June 2024, Ellie was named to the team for her fourth 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. She helped Canada qualify for the team final, where they finished fifth. Individually, she placed sixth in both the all-around and vault finals.

Awards and Recognition

In 2018, Ellie Black was named one of the 15 greatest athletes in Nova Scotian history. She was also awarded the Order of Nova Scotia for being a great ambassador for gymnastics and her home province. She was only the second person under 25 to receive this honor. After the 2024 Olympics, Ellie received the Paris 2024 Fair Play Award for her amazing sportsmanship and respect for others.

Sponsors and Personal Life

Ellie has worked with big companies like Toyota Canada, Royal Bank of Canada, and MuscleTech. She also has her own line of gymnastics equipment with Spieth America. Ellie has studied kinesiology at Dalhousie University. She loves cooking and shares her recipes online.

Ellie's Own Skill

Ellie Black has a gymnastics skill named after her! At the 2022 Paris World Challenge Cup, she was the first gymnast to successfully perform a specific move on the uneven bars. This move is called a "piked clear-hip Tkatchev with ½ turn." Because she was the first, it is now officially known as the Black in the Code of Points.

Images for kids

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  Ellie Black in 2021

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  Ellie Black (left) and the Canadian team at the 2015 Pan American Games