Gymnast Félix Dolci used his first-ever final at a senior world championships to advance to the world championships Top 5 Floor exercise on Saturday in Belgium. This is the first time a Canadian has finished in the top five at a men’s World Championship since 2006.
A week after helping the Canadian team qualify for the Paris Olympics, the Laval resident reached the final thanks to a fifth qualifying place. Starting third, his routine earned him 14,400 points with a difficulty level of 6,000, the lowest of the finalists.
When he found out about his result, Félix Dolci suspected that despite a satisfactory performance, his day would not end on the podium. In the end he finished fifth in the world rankings.
“I think the grade I received is appropriate. Knowing the other competitors, I told myself that it wouldn’t be enough for a podium place, he confided in an interview with Sportcom. I am very satisfied with my performance! A first senior final remains a great achievement. I wasn’t very far [d’une médaille], but as I suspected, it wasn’t enough. »
In 2006, Albertan Kyle Shewfelt finished third on the podium in the floor exercise.
On Saturday, only 0.200 points separated Dolci from bronze medalist, Kazakh Milad Karimi, and 0.466 points from world champion, Israeli Artem Dolgopyat. The one who won gold at the Tokyo Olympics beat the Japanese Kazuki Manimi by 0.200 points.
The Quebecer, silver medalist on floor at the 2019 World Junior Championships, lost a few points when landing his jumps. According to him, better landing stability “would have made the difference” on his second and third jumps.
“There were some big jumps and I think I lost a few tenths, which could have easily given me a place on the podium. It can’t always be perfect and the rest was pretty neat! » explained the 21-year-old athlete, who is perfecting a more demanding routine in training.
“I had confidence and wanted to make it to the podium. That is my intention every time I take part in a final. The fact is: When we get to an individual final, it’s always very close, all the participants are very, very good with their equipment! »
It gives a good idea of what I can do and it’s very promising for the future.
Felix Dolci
Dolci will return to the Antwerp Sports Palace on Sunday to take part in the high bar final.
Author of a score of 14.133, good for eighth place in qualifying last weekend, he plans to add a level of difficulty to his program to maximize his chances of a podium finish.
“My routine will be a little different. I’m talking about a few centimeters that can change everything when it comes to my catches. I want to leave everything behind! Once again I have to compete against such talented gymnasts, including Olympic champion Daiki Hashimoto. If I don’t give 100% or even 120%, my chances of a podium finish are minimal. I’d rather go all out. »
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