Vanessa Panov

Biography

In 2014, Vanessa Panov helped Canada win gold at the Junior Pan American Championships and then got a taste of international multi-sport competition when she was a member of the group that finished fifth at the 2014 Youth Olympic Games in Nanjing, China. For two years that latter competition had been her initial long-term goal. The experience in Nanjing inspired her to continue her athletic journey. In 2015, Panov experienced a career highlight, competing in front of a hometown crowd at the Toronto 2015 Pan Am Games where she won two bronze medals. Since then she has represented Canada at three FIG World Championships and helped Canada claim bronze in the 5 hoops event at the 2018 Pan American Championships.

A LITTLE MORE ABOUT VANESSA

Getting into the Sport: Started gymnastics at age 4… Had been at the gym with her mom since she was two weeks old… Outside Interests: Enjoys dancing and visual arts… Studying Health Science at the University of Toronto…Odds and Ends: Always wears a red thread with an evil eye on it as a good luck bracelet… Follows a tradition from her grandparents by having her parents pour a glass of water in her path as she leaves… Her mother Mira Filipova is the national group coach and competed internationally for Bulgaria in the early 1980s… Collects postcards from every city she visits in her travels… Favourite motto: Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard…