| Elfi Schlegel | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | (1964-05-17)17 May 1964 (age 61) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Gymnastics career | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Discipline | Women's artistic gymnastics | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Country represented |  Canada | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| College team | University of Florida | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Elfi Schlegel (born May 17, 1964) is a Canadiangymnast and commentator. She competed in fourNCAA women's gymnastics tournaments for theFlorida Gators women's gymnastics team and won gold medals at the1978 Commonwealth Games and1979 Pan American Games. She was chosen to represent Canada at the1980 Summer Olympics, but did not compete due to the1980 Summer Olympics boycott. She covered the sport as a commentator forCTV (1984–1988),CBC (1988–1992), andNBC (1992–2012).
Schlegel was born inToronto,Ontario, to parents Peter and Vlasta Schlegel, immigrants fromSwitzerland.[1] Growing up in the Toronto suburb ofEtobicoke, she started gymnastics at the age of 7.[1] She attendedSilverthorn Collegiate Institute in Toronto, and graduated with her diploma after her grade twelve year—a year early in the (then) thirteen-year Ontario education system.[2]
Schlegel established herself as one of the best gymnasts in Canadian history (at that point) when she won a gold medal in the all-around and team competitions in gymnastics at the 1978Commonwealth Games inEdmonton, Alberta. At the1979 Pan American Games inSan Juan, Puerto Rico, she won a bronze medal in the individual all around, two silver medals for the uneven bars and vault, and a gold medal as a member of the first-place Canadian team. She also won a bronze medal in the vault at the 1980World Cup in Toronto, the first-ever World Cup medal for a Canadian.[2]
She was selected as a member of the Canadian national team for the1980 Summer Olympics inMoscow, Russia, but was unable to participate when Canada joined the United States–led boycott of the Moscow Games in protest of the invasion of Afghanistan by theSoviet Union.[3]
After graduation from high school, Schlegel wanted to continue to compete, but Canadian universities did not offer intercollegiate gymnastics competition or athletic scholarships.[2] She sought and received an athletic scholarship to attend theUniversity of Florida in Gainesville, Florida, where she was a member of coachErnestine Weaver'sFlorida Gators women's gymnastics team inNational Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) competition from 1982 to 1986.[2][4] As a Gator gymnast, she was a four-time individualSoutheastern Conference (SEC) champion–all-around (1983), twice in the balance beam (1983, 1986), and vault (1984).[4] The Gators qualified for the NCAA national championship tournament all four of Schlegel's years on the team, and finished third at the 1983 NCAA tournament.[4] She received sixAll-American honours.[4]
Schlegel graduated from Florida with abachelor's degree in telecommunications production in 1986,[2] and was inducted into theUniversity of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame as a "Gator Great" in 1997.[5][6]
In 1984, Schlegel began her television career as agymnastics commentator forCTV'sWide World of Sports.[7] She covered theGymnastics at the 1988 Summer Olympics forCBC.[8] Schlegel was a gymnastics analyst onNBC's Olympic broadcasts from 1992 to 2012.[9][10] She also covered theBreeders Cup and Olympiccurling for the network.[11][12]
Schlegel is married to Marc Dunn, a former Olympian who represented Canada in beach volleyball at the1996 Summer Olympics.[13] They have three children and live in Toronto.[1]
