Samantha Smith (gymnast)

Last updated

Samantha Smith
Born (1992-04-01) April 1, 1992 (age 33)
Toronto, Ontario [1]
Height150 cm (4 ft 11 in) [2]
Gymnastics career
Discipline Trampoline gymnastics
Country
represented
Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada
Training location Vancouver, British Columbia
ClubShasta Trampoline
Head coach(es)Curt De Wolff
Medal record
Women's trampoline gymnastics
Representing Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada
World Championships
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg 2013 Sofia Trampoline team
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg 2014 Daytona Beach Synchro
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg 2011 Birmingham Trampoline team
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg 2019 Tokyo Individual team
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg2019 TokyoSynchro
Pan American Games
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2019 Lima Individual
Pan American Championships
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2010 Daytona Beach Trampoline team
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg2010 Daytona BeachSynchro
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2014 Mississauga Trampoline team
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2023 Monterrey Trampoline team
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg2010 Daytona BeachIndividual
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg 2012 Querétaro Trampoline team
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg2012 QuerétaroIndividual
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg2012 QuerétaroSynchro

Samantha Smith (born April 1, 1992) is a Canadian former trampoline gymnast. She is the 2019 Pan American Games individual champion and 2019 World Championships team and synchro bronze medalist. She represented Canada at the 2020 Summer Olympics and competed at every World Championships from 2010 to 2019.

Contents

Gymnastics career

Smith began practicing artistic gymnastics at the age of three and switched to the trampoline discipline when she was 14. She made her international debut at the 2009 World Age Group Competition and won a gold medal in synchro and a bronze medal individually in the 17-18 age group. [3]

At the 2010 Pan American Championships, Smith won the silver medal in the individual event and a gold medal in synchro with partner Samantha Sendel. [4] She won a bronze medal in the team event, alongside Karen Cockburn and Rosie MacLennan at the 2011 World Championships. [5] She was an alternate for Canada's 2012 Olympic team. [6]

Smith, Sendel, and MacLennan won a silver medal in the team event at the 2013 World Championships. [7] At the 2014 Pan American Championships, she helped Canada win the gold medal in the team event. [8] She competed in the synchro competition with MacLennan at the 2014 World Championships, and they won the silver medal. [9] She also advanced into the individual final and finished eighth. [10] She was not selected for the 2016 Olympic team. [6]

Smith won the individual title at the 2019 Pan American Games. [11] She then won a bronze medal in the synchro event at the 2019 Vallodolid World Cup alongside Rachel Tam. [12] At the 2019 Trampoline World Championships held in Tokyo, Japan, she won, alongside Sophiane Méthot, Sarah Milette and Rosie MacLennan, the bronze medal in the team event. [13] Smith and Tam also won a bronze medal in the synchro competition. [14] She also qualified for the individual final and finished seventh. [15]

Smith won the individual bronze medal at the 2020 Baku World Cup, behind Chinese gymnasts Zhu Xueying and Liu Lingling. [16] She was selected to represented Canada at the 2020 Summer Olympics. [17] She finished 14th in the individual qualifications after major errors in her second routine and did not advance into the final. [18]

Smith finished fifth in the individual final at the 2022 Coimbra World Cup. [19] She won a gold medal in the team event at the 2023 Pan American Championships. [20] She announced her retirement from the sport in September 2023. [21]

Personal life

Smith graduated from the University of British Columbia with a bachelor's degree in human kinetics in 2015. She also completed a master's degree in physical therapy from the same university in 2018. [2] She is Jewish. [22]

See also

References

  1. "Samantha Smith profile". Gymanstics Canada. Retrieved August 12, 2019.
  2. 1 2 "Trampoline Gymnastics - SMITH Samantha". Tokyo 2020 Olympics. Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Archived from the original on August 28, 2021. Retrieved August 28, 2021.
  3. "Samantha Smith profile". Canadian Olympic Committee . June 27, 2019. Retrieved August 12, 2019.
  4. "U.S. seniors win five gold medals". USA Gymnastics . March 28, 2010. Retrieved July 14, 2025.
  5. "28th Trampoline World Championships Birmingham (GBR), 17—20 November 2011 Results Individual Trampoline Women Team Final" (PDF). USA Gymnastics . International Gymnastics Federation. November 18, 2011. Retrieved July 14, 2025.
  6. 1 2 "Samantha Smith Tokyo Bound". Gymnastics British Columbia. July 8, 2021. Retrieved July 14, 2025.
  7. "Canada's MacLennan leads women's team to trampoline silver". CBC Sports . November 8, 2013. Retrieved July 14, 2025.
  8. "Rosie MacLennan finishes atop the podium in Pan Am qualifier". King Weekly Sentinel. August 26, 2014. Retrieved July 14, 2025.
  9. "China goes three for four as World Trampoline Gymnastics Championships end". International Gymnastics Federation . November 10, 2014. Retrieved June 3, 2025.
  10. Hossain, Asif (November 9, 2014). "MacLennan wins silver at world trampoline championships". Canadian Olympic Committee . Retrieved July 14, 2025.
  11. "Trampoline Gymnastics Canada maintain golden run thanks to Smith and Chartier". International Gymnastics Federation . August 6, 2019. Retrieved July 14, 2025.
  12. Gilhula, Cara (October 6, 2019). "Canada bounces to synchro double podiums at Trampoline World Cup". Canadian Olympic Committee . Retrieved July 14, 2025.
  13. "Canada wins women's team bronze at trampoline worlds". CBCSports.ca. November 29, 2019. Retrieved April 30, 2020.
  14. Morrison, Chloe (December 2, 2019). "Weekend Roundup: Podiums, first-time victories and Olympic qualification". Canadian Olympic Committee . Retrieved July 14, 2025.
  15. Morrison, Chloe (December 1, 2019). "Trampoline: MacLennan captures bronze to end World Championships". Canadian Olympic Committee . Retrieved July 14, 2025.
  16. "Canada's Samantha Smith wins World Cup bronze in women's trampoline". CBC Sports. February 16, 2020. Retrieved July 14, 2025.
  17. "Rosie MacLennan headlines Canada's trampoline gymnastics team for Tokyo 2020". CBC Sports. July 5, 2021. Retrieved July 14, 2025.
  18. "Trampoline Gymnastics - Qualification Results". Tokyo 2020. Retrieved July 31, 2021.
  19. Morrison, Chloe (June 26, 2022). "Sophiane Méthot bounces to bronze at Trampoline World Cup in Portugal". Canadian Olympic Committee . Retrieved July 14, 2025.
  20. "Campeonato Panamericano de Adultos / Senior Pan American Championship 2023 Individual trampoline —Team competitions" (PDF). USA Gymnastics . Retrieved July 14, 2025.
  21. "Trampoline Gymnastics Legend Samantha Smith Retires After 17 Glorious Years". Gymnastics British Columbia. September 27, 2023. Retrieved July 14, 2025.
  22. Merrill, Mia J. (July 9, 2021). "Meet the Jewish Gymnasts at the Tokyo Olympics". heyalma.com. Retrieved January 28, 2022.