Kianna Dean and Simone Hall will compete out of mixed group number two along with three Colombians and one athlete from Algeria as the team competition of the 2015 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships get underway on Friday in Glasgow, Scotland. The event, the biggest gymnastics meet in the world, will feature about 500 gymnasts vying for the respective world titles in the 10-day competition at The SSE Hydro arena in Glasgow - the same venue which hosted the gymnastics competition of the 2014 Commonwealth Games.
The event, which will run until November 1, will also serve as a qualifying tournament for the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. No Bahamian has ever competed in gymnastics at this level, but Dean and Hall are prepared to make history for The Bahamas. They will compete in the evening session of the women's team qualifying competition on Friday. Their sub division, which will also include Poland, Germany and another mixed team of three Croatians and three Slovakians, will begin at 8:50 p.m. local time, 3:50 p.m. here in The Bahamas.
"I have been doing gymnastics for a little over 12 years and have always dreamed of being able to represent my country in the discipline of gymnastics," said Dean. "I'm looking forward to this event. Dedicated, jovial, kind-hearted and determined are a few words that best describe me. Those characteristics and traits help me to be successful academically, socially, spiritually and athletically."
Dean, 18, made history in July when she became the first Bahamian gymnast to ever participate in the Pan American Games. She is currently training out of Park Avenue Gymnastics in Cooper City, Florida.
Hall, who missed out on this summer's Pan Am Games due to a knee injury, said that she is excited to get back out there and represent her country.
"The only way to overcome fear is to attack it. This is the motto that I referred to when training," said Hall. "I'm not fully healed, but I'm ready to compete. I'm so thankful for everyone who got me to this point. I would love to thank firstly God for giving be the ability to ever take part in the sport and reach this far. Secondly, I thank my coaches Trevor Ramsey, Ann and Valdi Kolasa for shaping me into the gymnast I am today and also all members of the gymnastics federation and the Bahamas Olympic Committee (BOC). I am so thankful to have such great coaches and role models such as those individuals. Finally, I want to thank all of my family and friends especially my parents for believing in me and always being there for me when ever I lose hope in myself."
Hall, who competed in the New Jersey Regional Championships in March, trains at Gymland, the home of Arena Gymnastics in New Jersey, under the watchful eyes of the husband and wife team of Valdi and Ann Kolasa. At the New Jersey regionals, she was able to win a medal in several events, and recorded a number of personal bests. She finished with an overall total of 37.100 points, scoring a 9.575 on the vault, 9.400 on the bars, 8.900 on the beam and 9.275 on the floor.
Both Dean and Hall were a part of the trio who competed for The Bahamas at last year's Sr. Pan American Championships in Mississauga, Canada. Toneka Johnson was the third member of that team. Dean went on to compete in the Pan Am Games, and had an all-around performance of 32.600 points. On the vault, she collected 12.250 points, she had 2.550 on the uneven bars, 8.150 on the balance beam and 9.650 on the floor.
As for the world championships that will start on Friday, the global event will feature over 1,000 gymnasts from 84 nations around the world. Trevor Ramsey will serve as the team's head coach for the 10-day competition.
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