Karen Kelsall (CAN)

1977 American Cup AA Bronze Medalist

Karen was born on December 11, 1962.  When she was two, her family moved to Fresno, CA.  Karen started taking ballet lessons at age 3; at age 8 she began taking a recreational gymnastics class.  By the time the family moved back to Canada in 1972, Karen was a Class II gymnast.  She joined the Flicka Gymnastics Club and dreamed of representing Canada at the 1976 Olympics.  

In 1975, Karen placed 18th at a pre-Olympic meet.  Disappointed with her results, but still dreaming about the Olympics, she decided to move away from her family to train at the National Academy of Artistic Gymnastics in Eugene, OR.  There, she was coached by Dick and Linda Mulvihill.  She made rapid progress, and by 1976 she had made the Canadian Olympic team.  The youngest gymnast at age 13, Karen finished a respectable 27th AA.  Today, she's a chiropractor in Portland, OR.

Competition Results

1974
Western Canada Championships: 1st AA (jr. division)

1975

Pan American Games:  13th AA, 5th FX

 

1976

Calgary International:  2nd V, 2nd B, 3rd UB

Chunichi Cup:  10th AA

Fiesta Bowl:  4th AA
Jr. CAN Championships:  1st AA

Olympic Games: 9th Team, 27th AA

 

1977

American Cup:  3rd AA

Moscow News:  8th AA

Ontario Cup: 1st AA
Riga International:  15th AA

Sagebrush Invitational: 1st AA, 1st FX, 3rd V, 3rd UB, 3rd B

 

1978

CAN-BUL Dual Meet:  1st Team, 3rd AA

CAN Championship:  2nd AA

Commonwealth Games:  4th AA

KIPS Invitational:  5th UB

Pacific Rim Championships:  7th AA

Shanghai International:  5th UB

World Championships:  8th Team, 17th AA

World Cup:  10th AA, 7th FX, 8th UB

 

1979

KIPS Invitational:  3rd UB, 5th B
Oregon Open: 3rd UB, 3rd FX

 

1980

Caesar's Palace Invitational:  6th AA

CAN Championships:  1st AA

Capital Cup:  6th AA

Cottbus International:  9th AA, 6th UB, 7th FX

KIPS Invitational:  4th AA, 2nd FX, 3rd UB

2nd National Elites (USA):  4th AA, 2nd UB, 3rd B

SUI-CAN-JPN Meet: 1st Team, 2nd AA, 1st V, 1st UB, 1st FX

This page was last updated on July 24, 2021.
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