A local tumbler working out of the Quinte Bay Gymnastics Club has returned from the 2024 Canadian Championships in Gatineau, QC with some impressive hardware.

PECI’s Kensey Koutroulides won silver in the Level 5 U14 tumbling competition. The gymnast missed out on a gold medal finish by three tenths of a point. Ms. Koutroulides completed two passes in the preliminary round and two in the final round, to earn a combined score of 74.1. Serena Hughes of British Columbia was the overall winner with a score 74.4.

Tumbling, also called power tumbling, is a gymnastics discipline in which participants perform a series of acrobatic jumps, twists and flips on a 25m long sprung track. Each series, known as a pass, is judged on the level of difficulty and form.

“It was amazing to compete at an event with current Canadian Olympians and teammates who will be heading on to the World Championships,” Ms. Koutroulides told the Gazette. “I am already looking forward to next season.”

The athlete moved up to level 5 after competing in 2022-23 as a level 2 gymnast. Earlier this season, she earned third place in the Elite Canada Gymnastic competition in Calgary.

The Grade 8 student trains with coach Katelyn Thompson and a group of supportive and skilled teammates at the Quinte Bay club. Ms. Thompson remarked that Ms. Koutroulides’s development arc over the past three seasons has been impressive.

“Kensey started with virtually no gymnastics skills or experience. In the short time frame that she has been in competitive power tumbling she has improved beyond my expectations. She is currently the youngest female national level 5 athlete in Ontario,” Ms. Thompson said. 

“Her achievements are a clear indication of her hard work, dedication and perseverance in this sport.”