Ellie Black of Halifax, Nova Scotia won two individual women’s gymnastics medals on Wednesday at the 2017 Universiade in Taipei, Taiwan. The Dalhousie University student won a gold medal on the women’s balance beam and a bronze medal on the women’s uneven bars.
On the balance beam, Black posted a score of 14.133 points. Natsumi Sasada of Japan won the silver medal with 13.833 points. Olympic bronze medalist Larisa-Andreea Iordache of Romania won the bronze medal with 13.666 points. Iordache, who won the bronze medal for Romania in the women’s gymnastics team competition at the 2012 Olympic Games in London, won the gold medal for Romania in Taipei in the women’s individual all-around and the women’s floor exercise.
Black earned a podium spot on the balance beam by 0.467 points. Evgeniia Shelgunova of Russia finished in fourth place with a score of 13.366 points.
On the uneven bars, Black posted a score of 13.966 points. Olympic silver medalist Daria Spiridonova of Russia won the gold medal with 14.233 points. Kim Ngan Bui of Germany won the silver medal with 13.966 points. Spiridonova won the silver medal for Russia in the women’s gymnastics team competition at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. Black meanwhile earned a medal by the slimmest of margins. She had .133 more points than fourth place finisher Yuki Uchiyama of Japan who had 13.833 points.
Black has now won four medals at the 2017 Universiade as she also won the silver medal in the women’s team competition and a bronze medal in the women’s individual all-around. The four medals for Black will give her confidence as she prepares for the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo.
