BIOGRAPHY   CHARLOTTE'S CORNER   FAVOURITES   INTERVIEW
 

Full name: Gael Briane Mackie
Birthdate: December 16, 1988
Birthplace: Vancouver, British Columbia
Hometown: Vancouver, British Columbia
Residence: Coquitlam, British Columbia
Family: parents Bill and Susan, brother Owen (age 21), sister Charlotte (age 13)
Pets: Cat - Oscar and bunny - Chester
Height: 152 cm (around five feet)
Hobbies: Shopping, reading, movies, spending time with friends and family and travelling.

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Gael Briane Mackie is just another 18-year-old teenage girl. She goes to school everyday and likes to shop and spend time with her friends. However, Gael's life is very different in many ways. She is a world-class athlete, with a collection of international awards and accomplishments to prove it. Gael was born on December 16th, 1988 to Susan and Bill Mackie, both of whom had been involved in gymnastics. Bill made both the 1968 and 1972 Olympic Teams but injuries forced him to withdraw from both competitions. Susan was a national gymnast and competed at Westerns and Nationals. Gael started her own gymnastics career at age 3, at it's been a part of her life ever since. Both of her parents wanted their children to do sports and when Gael first tried gymnastics, she was hooked. 
 

Gael made her major competition debut at the 2002 WOGA Classic in Plano, Texas. Although her popularity was quickly growing in Canada, Gael was still relatively unknown to anyone who wasn't a faithful Canadian gymnastics fan. However, at this meet, she competed against some of the best gymnasts in the world (including World Champions, Carly Patterson, Hollie Vise, and Oksana Chusovitina). She placed fourth in the all around and was third on beam, an event on which she shines. With her stunning flexibility and obvious confidence, she turned heads and caught the eyeryone's attention. She thought it was an honor to compete against her role models, they had been on TV before and she was a fan! After her great performance in Texas, people started seeing Gael as one of the top contenders for a spot on the 2002 Pacific Alliance team and as one of the front runners for the Canadian national championship all around title. Gael not only won a berth to the PACs, but she impressed everyone by becoming the highest placing Canadian woman (7th all around) and winning the silver medal on beam! This result was another great achievement to add to Gael's growing international resume. 

 
Meet after meet she proved that she was ready to compete among the best gymnasts in the world. She then returned home and began preparing for the national championships. At Nationals, Gael continued her amazing winning streak. She became the 2002 Canadian Junior National Champion over Ontario's Elyse Hopfner-Hibbs and Saskatchewan's Lisa Pattison. Then, on day 2 of the competition, Gael won the gold on both vault and floor and was the silver medallist on bars. She tied for 4th on her best event, the balance beam, which her friend and teammate Laura-Ann Chong won. After Nationals, Gymnastique Canada Gymnastics even considered naming Gael to the Commonwealth Games team but decided to let her stay home and train instead, to rest after a long season. She competed at Elite Canada later on that year and did very well by placing second all around to Ontario's Heather Purnell. Overall, the 2002 meet season was a great breakthrough year for Gael and made her excited for the competitions to come in 2003.

In early 2003, Gael was invited to compete in one of the most prestigious meets in the world - the American Cup. With $10,000 going to the winner and two hours of live television coverage, this competition is for the best of the best, with only eight female competitors invited from around the world. Unfortunately, Gael had to withdraw because of a foot injury. She watched as teammate, Heather Purnell traveled to Richmond, Virginia instead. However, this disappointment only gave Gael more motivation to work harder than ever and prove that she was the best gymnast in Canada yet again. And she did just that. Gael won the 2003 Canadian National Championships for the second time in a row, this time in the senior division. This victory showed everyone that Gael was back and ready to compete - and win - against the best. In the event finals, Gael won the bronze medal on beam, still proving to be her specialty event, and placed fifth on floor and sixth on bars.

 
The summer of 2003 was one Gael had been dreaming of for her whole gymnastics career. The World Championships would be held in August and it was her goal to be a part of that team. At the Pan Am Games/World Championships trials, Gael easily made both teams and began to prepare for them. However, shortly after arriving in Santo Domingo for the Pan Am Games, the entire Canadian team became ill. Gael trained for a few days, but was too sick to compete. She was disappointed, but still had the World Championships coming up that she needed to focus on. Upon arriving in Anaheim, California for Worlds, Gael was still feeling under the weather. She again trained for a few days, but in the end, was named to the alternate position. She did not get the chance to compete, but still had a fun time. She carried the Canadian flag in the Opening Ceremonies and got much needed downtime on the beach.

The beginning of the 2004 season proved again to be full of setbacks as Gael was forced to withdraw from the WOGA Classic due to injury. At the national championships, Gael suffered a bad fall on her Jaeger on bars and that was the only event she did at the meet. At the Olympic trials, Gael injured her knee on day 1 and pulled from all events on day 2, except bars. However, the Canadian selection committee decided that Gael was well enough to go to Athens, so in July 2004, Gael's biggest dream came true - she was an Olympian. At the Olympics, Gael competed just one event for the Canadian team (bars), but earned the experience that will last with her forever. In her own words, Gael says of the experience: "I will never forget that day, my whole entire life!" In November 2004, Gael competed in Belgium and France at the World Cup and Massilia Cup. Both events were great experience for Gael. 

In early 2005, Gael was invited to the prestigious American Cup, which is known for being the kick-off meet each season, featuring some of the greatest talents in the world. Unfortunately, she was forced to withdraw because of a knee injury and was replaced by a teammate. Despite this setback early on in the the year, she continued to train hard and improve her routines. In May, she qualified to the World Cup finals on uneven bars, an impressive accomplishment, given the list of her competitors. At the National Championships later that month, Gael finished a solid fourth all around. She finished out her third season as a senior international gymnast with a wonderful competition at Elite Canada (where she was second all around and on beam, and third on vault).

Gael's 2006 season began well, with a third place finish at the Commonwealth Games trials, which easily put her on the team. The Games, held in Melbourne, Australia, would be another opportunity for Gael to show the world her progress and pursuit for a second Olympic Games. The team performed very well, winning the bronze medal. Individually, Gael had a great day, finishing seventh all around. In mid-2006, she accomplished another fantastic goal: committing to a college gymnastics team. She was offered a scholarship and the chance to compete at the University of Utah, an opportunity she welcomed. 

At the National Championships, Gael had a very successful weekend, winning the all around silver medal and two bronze event final medals (bars and floor). Her momentum continued at the World Team Trials, with a very impressive performance that gave her the all around title and an automatic berth onto the World team. Unfortunately, Gael's bad luck with injuries struck again, and she was forced to withdraw. 

The beginning of 2007 was a great time for Gael, as she won the Friendship Classic in Pennsylvania. Her all around win at a competition that is known for featuring many top international gymnasts from around the world again solidified her spot in the sport.

Gael competed well the rest of this season, with a fifth place finish at Nationals (where she also won a bronze medal on the uneven bars). Again, injuries prevented Gael from competing at the World Team Trials, therefore eliminating her fight for a spot on the World team. Now, with the Olympics less than a year away, Gael has many important decisions to make regarding her future. With a great education and college gymnastics career ahead of her at Utah, she has endless opportunities. As for now, Gael is training hard and still going strong. With her talent and determination, Gael Mackie is surely on her way to realizing all her dreams.