RHYTHMIC GYMNASTICS – Margaret Elizabeth Kuts

Rhythmic gymnastics has been the defining thread of my life since I was three years old. What began as a way to channel boundless childhood energy has evolved into representing Canada on the world stage. Currently training 25-30 hours per week in Toronto as a member of Team Canada’s senior national group, I balance the demands of elite athletics with my studies at the University of Toronto.

Team Canada: 2021-Present

I have been a member of Team Canada for five years, competing at the highest level of rhythmic gymnastics. As an individual gymnast my highest ranking was 5th in Canada and 1st in British Columbia. Now I represent my country in group rhythmic gymnastics—a discipline that demands not only individual excellence but seamless synchronization with my teammates.

2025 Season: Second Year with the National Group

This year marks my second season competing with the Team Canada group, which has expanded from six athletes last year to eight this season. We compete with two different routines: 5 balls and 3 hoops + 2 clubs. Last year, I competed in both group routines, contributing to our success on the international stage.

2025 International Competition Season

This past season has been remarkable for our team, competing at multiple prestigious international events:

2025 Pan American Championships – Asunción, Paraguay

Group All-Around: Silver Medal (2nd place, Final), 41.200 points
5 Ribbons: 4th place (Final); 3rd place (Qualification)
3 Balls + 2 Hoops: 4th place (Final); 2nd place (Qualification)

41st FIG Rhythmic Gymnastics World Championships – Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Group All-Around: 24th place
3 Balls + 2 Hoops: 15th place (Qualification)

FIG World Cup 2025 – Milan, Italy

5 Ribbons: 16th place (Qualification)
3 Balls + 2 Hoops: 16th place (Qualification)

FIG World Challenge Cup 2025 – Cluj-Napoca, Romania

5 Ribbons: 11th place (Qualification), 20.800 points
3 Balls + 2 Hoops: 15th place (Qualification), 18.650 points

FIG World Challenge Cup 2025 – Portimão, Portugal

5 Ribbons: 6th place (Final); 6th place (Qualification)
3 Balls + 2 Hoops: 4th place (Final); 7th place (Qualification)

Individual Achievements

2023:

Prize of Julieta Shishmanova, Bulgaria – Silver Medal in the Ribbon Event

2022:

Pan American Championships, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil – Team Bronze Medal
Golden Cup, Spain – Bronze Medal in the Hoop event
Rising Star Grant – Received the Rising Star Grant from the Canadian Sport Institute Pacific

2019: Junior National Champion

In 2019, I became the all-around champion at the Canadian National Championships Junior Open competition. This victory earned me High Performance status in my debut year as a junior—a significant milestone that validated years of training and opened doors to elite-level competition.

2016: BC Winter Games All-Around Champion

Representing my zone and Olympia Rhythmic Gymnastics at the Penticton BC Winter Games was an unforgettable experience. Despite a challenging first day of competition, I was able to refocus and win the all-around title. The entire event—from the torch ceremony to the closing celebrations—felt like a miniature Olympics and gave me my first taste of major competition.

The Early Years: Artistic Gymnastics

I started both Rhythmic Gymnastics and Women’s Artistic Gymnastics when I was three years old. My mom enrolled me to channel my “ridiculous amount of energy,” and I quickly progressed through competitive levels in both disciplines.

For years, I competed in both artistic and rhythmic gymnastics, excelling at bars, beam, floor, and vault while simultaneously developing skills with rhythmic apparatus. But as I reached higher competitive levels, practices overlapped and competitions fell on the same days. Thus, at age 9, I was forced to make a decision.

In the end, I chose rhythmic gymnastics. It was an extremely difficult choice—I loved the power and precision of artistic gymnastics. But rhythmic gymnastics offered something unique: the fusion of athletic difficulty with artistic expression, the choreography set to music, the storytelling through movement.

I chose rhythmic gymnastics and went on to represent my club at the 2016 BC Winter Games, winning the all-around title.

Looking Toward the Future

My ultimate goal is to represent Canada at the Olympic Games. Every training session, every competition, every sacrifice is made with that dream in mind. The journey to the Olympics requires not just physical preparation but mental fortitude, strategic planning, and unwavering dedication—qualities that rhythmic gymnastics has instilled in me since childhood.

Beyond personal achievement, I hope to inspire the next generation of Canadian gymnasts and demonstrate that with hard work, resilience, and passion, dreams that seem impossible can indeed become reality.