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University of California, Los Angeles, Athletics
Francis, Kocian to Compete at Worlds
October 15, 2015 | Gymnastics
Two Bruins - one current and one future - will compete at the World Gymnastics Championships in Glasgow, Scotland. UCLA senior Danusia Francis will compete for Jamaica, while signee Madison Kocian, who will enter UCLA in Fall 2016, will compete for the U.S.
Francis, a three-time All-American for the Bruins and a World Championships competitor for England in 2011, will compete under the Jamaican flag, along with another Pac-12 gymnast, Toni-Ann Williams from California. Team Jamaica is in subdivision 12 in qualifying, along with gymnasts from South Africa, Czech Republic, Honduras and Armenia and the Hungarian and Swiss teams.
Kocian, who helped the U.S. win team gold at the 2014 World Championships, is the current U.S. champion on uneven bars. The U.S. will compete in subdivision 10 in qualifying, along with the Netherlands and two other mixed groups.
Both Jamaica and the U.S. will compete on Saturday, Oct. 24. The U.S. is in the first subdivision of the day, beginning at 8:30am PT, while Jamaica is in the third and final, which is scheduled to start at 12:50pm PT. Both Jamaica and the U.S. begin on floor exercise, which gives Francis a chance to end on her signature event, balance beam.
Francis has submitted a new skill for the international code of points - a sideways aerial with one leg in hold on balance beam - with hopes of getting the move named after her.
"It has always been a dream of mine to get a skill named after me, if the committee agrees it is a new skill," Francis said. "That is one of my aims, as well as helping put Jamaica on the map for gymnastics."
Francis credits her collegiate experience with her return to the elite scene. "If it wasn't for college helping me fall in love with gymnastics again, I wouldn't have even considered competing in elite again," she said. "It's all about having fun with the performance for me now, and the rest is just a bonus."
Francis will return to UCLA following the World Championships and will compete with the Bruins when the season starts in January. The Bruins' season opener is Sunday, Jan. 10 vs. Alabama at 2pm. UCLA will also host a Meet the Bruins team fan-fest in Pauley Pavilion on Sunday, Dec. 13.
2015 World Gymnastics Championships Schedule
Oct. 24 - Preliminaries - 8:30am PT (USA), 12:50pm PT (Jamaica)
(Live Stream, USA only - usagymworlds.com)
Oct. 27 - Team Finals - 11:45am PT
(TV - Universal Sports)
Oct. 29 - All-Around Final - 11:45am PT
(TV - Universal Sports)
Oct. 31 - Event Finals (Vault, Uneven Bars) - 6:30am PT
(TV - Universal Sports)
Nov. 1 - Event Finals (Beam, Floor) - 5:30am PT
(TV - Universal Sports)
