Canadian Olympian Shallon Olsen Signs with Alabama Gymnastics
11/10/2017 12:15:00 PM | Gymnastics
Olsen in the third gymnast to sign with the Crimson Tide in the fall period
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – 2016 Olympian Shallon Olsen has signed a National Letter of Intent to compete for The University of Alabama gymnastics team head coach Dana Duckworth announced Friday.
"Shallon will be an exciting athlete to watch as she competes some of the most difficult skills in the world," Duckworth said. "She has tremendous power and incredible international competitive experience in the Olympic and World Championship settings. In the recruiting process Shallon and our coaching staff spent a lot of time discussing what excellence looks like in the collegiate setting. She is committed to the development of the total person and we are thrilled to help her become the best version of herself not only in the gym, not only as a teammate but, most importantly, in life."
The 2016 Canadian Olympian finished eighth on the vault in Rio. She also finished seventh on the vault and 16th on the floor exercise at the 2017 World Championships. She is coached by Vladimir Lashin and Svetlana Lasina at Omega Gymnastics. A member of the Canadian national team since 2010, she earned gold on the vault at the 2016 Pacific Rim Championships, leading Team Canada to the silver medal. She also earned a silver medal on the floor exercise and a bronze on the vault at the 2014 Pacific Rim Championships while leading Canada to team silver.
"I chose Alabama because of the warmth and caring of all the coaches, Olsen said. "Also because of the high standards that Alabama sets and how hard the gymnasts work to reach their goals. I got the sense that Alabama is a great school, the best."
The Vancouver, British Columbia, native is a member of the honor roll at Centennial Secondary School, where she is a senior. She is the daughter of Jayne Chow-Olsen and Tony Olsen.
"At this time, she will join us for the 2018-19 academic year, then defer a year to explore the opportunities to represent Canada in the 2019 World Championships and 2020 Olympics, and then return to the Capstone," Duckworth said.
Olsen joins Asia DeWalt and Griffin James in the Crimson Tide's 2019 freshman class.
While the Tide's latest addition to its gymnastics family gets her start with the 2019 season, this year's squad gets things underway in January. Season tickets are available through the Alabama Ticket Office (205.348.2262) located in the lobby of Coleman Coliseum or online at RollTide.com.
For all the latest information on Alabama gymnastics, follow BamaGymnastics on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook and head coach Dana Duckworth on Twitter and Instagram at @UACoachDana.
