‘Always a dream of mine’: Regina’s Metheral competes at world championships

Hannah Metheral is jumping onto the world trampoline gymnastics stage.

The 20-year-old Regina resident participated in the trampoline gymnastics world championships that took place in Sofia, Bulgaria from Nov. 16 to 19.

“It was crazy. It’s always been a dream of mine to attend world championships. I’ve always wanted to attend the Olympics but double-mini isn’t an Olympic event, so world championships is one of the closest things I can get to that. It was a proud moment for me,” Metheral said.

She competes out of Gymnastics Adventure in Regina and was the No. 2-ranked Canadian woman heading into the world championships. She had captured gold in the senior category at the national championships in July.

“I think that was the first time that I was like, ‘Wow, I think I made this team.’ We had a third trial for the world championships team in September and I placed second in that one,” Metheral said. “At the beginning of October, the team was announced. There were four girls on the team and I was second on that list and it was pretty cool.”

That led to the 16-hour plane ride that took Metheral from Regina to Bulgaria.

“(I) definitely was tired,” Metheral said. “(There was) a lot of travel. Usually I arrive (to compete internationally) at 10 p.m., so I don’t really see anything, but we arrived at noon, so it was light out.

“I always like going to new countries because I always want to see what it’s like. When the plane lands, it’s like ‘OK, let’s go.’”

When it was all said and done, Metheral placed 15th during her first senior world championships, something she said took time to sink in.

“It’s really weird to me,” she said. “I grew up watching these athletes and now I’m competing against them. I think I was in my head a lot about that for the first couple of World Cups I went to. I think at worlds, it made me believe I was at the same level as them. That was a cool epiphany to have.”

Regina trampoline gymnast Hannah Metheral competes at the world championships in Sofia, Bulgaria. (Submitted by Hannah Metheral)

“My goal at this past worlds was just to do my planned routines and do them to the best of my ability. I think I did that. Now that I’ve done that, I know I can do it so I think it’s focusing on getting better and improving on that.”

She was given a bit of a celebrity welcome home from her gym when she returned.

“The bulletin board out here had a whole congratulations thing. It was pretty cool and people asked me for pictures,” Metheral said.

Competing internationally isn’t new for Metheral. She has been to a number of events in other parts of the world, including Portugal and Italy.

Last year’s age group world championships – for gymnasts 11 to 21 years old – in Baku, Azerbaijan was one that proved to be a confidence builder for her.

“I always wanted to go to worlds and I trained with a couple girls that did go to worlds and that was a lot of motivation for me – to end up like the girls I train with,” Metheral said. “Last year, when I went to the world age groups, I went in thinking I wasn’t going to make finals and I just wanted to do the best I could and I ended up fifth.

“Fifth in the world under-21 is pretty cool. That was kind of the moment when I was like, ‘Wow, maybe I can do something else with this.’ That’s really pushed me forward.”

While she has found success at the international level, she is also seeing the sport grow in Saskatchewan.

“We’re growing. I’m not super-educated on how the men’s artistic and women’s artistic and rhythmic side is doing, but trampoline is definitely growing. We had 16 athletes compete at nationals this year, which is the most we’ve ever had, and this might be wrong but I think we had six gold medals out of that,” Metheral said.

“It makes me proud because we haven’t had a lot of national team athletes from Saskatchewan. I think we’ve only had four in trampoline gymnastics. To be able to represent not only Canada but Saskatchewan, it’s a dream. I think it’s setting a really good role model for the little ones here and the little ones in Saskatoon who watched as well.”

While there are other world championships in the near future for Metheral to qualify for, her ultimate goal is to represent Canada at the 2025 World Games in Chengdu, China.

“I’d hope to make that team. It’s only one male and one female from each sport. I was the alternate for this past one so I want to end off my career by going to that competition,” Metheral said.

“I still don’t think it was real. The alternate doesn’t travel but to be an alternate – I still get emails from it and seeing my name on it was really, really cool. Olympics have always been my dream but my sport isn’t an Olympic event, but to be an alternate for the equivalent of that is really surreal and really a proud moment.”