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LONDON—The tweet was too sweet.
A tantalizing voice from out in the social media ether had Dominique Pegg rolling around on the floor, rapturous.
Now, rolling around on the floor is something the bendy teenager does awfully well. That tiny five-foot-two frame — actually capacious dimensions in the munchkin land of elite gymnastics — packs a contortionist punch: on the mat, on the beam, on the vault and on the uneven bars.
With her teammates, Pegg pulled off a swinging coup in the squad competition Tuesday, their fifth place finish the highest result Canada has ever achieved, bettering No. 6 at worlds way back in 1989. The bonus, thoroughly unexpected, was that Pegg qualified as well for the prestigious all-around individual competition. She was the only Canadian female to make the top-24 cut.
Yet even that thrill was surpassed by a Twitter message Pegg received right after from — OMIGOD! Insert girl-shriek here — Justin Bieber.
Pegg had nudged the pop sensation first, one of The Beeb’s 26 million Twitter-head followers, suggesting maybe he would, like, want to give the Canadian girl gymnasts a good luck shout-out.
He heard the longing plea and responded.
“Sorry Im late 2 the party. Want to let you know as a proud Canadian Im always supporting you and proud of you STAND UP CANADA’’
Pegg literally swooned.
That message arrived simultaneous with the news Pegg was good-to-go in the individual event.
“We were back in the (athletes’) village,’’ the 18-year-old said yesterday, after finishing 19th in the all-around. “I was crying on the floor from Justin Bieber tweeting me. The TV was on and the scores came up and I saw I had the qualified ‘Q’ beside my name.’’
A double whammy, the hot damn kind, and could life get any better?
Well, she’s got tickets to a Bieber concert in November so, yes, it can. And maybe, just maybe, if the blessings keep piling up, OMIGOD!, she might even get to meet the pin-up heartthrob backstage? Really, why not? As he says, you’ve got to Be-leeb. “Hopefully. Hopefully!’’
Bieber may not know a Yushenko from a Tsukahara — and seriously, who does in the non-tumbling universe? — but these two Canadians do have points of commonality. “We kind of have, like, a same story,’’ Pegg enthuses. “OK, not really. I’m not as famous as Justin Bieber. But I came from a small town and had a big dream and my dreams are coming true, just like him. He really inspires me.’’
Dream is a word heard endlessly ’round the Games. That doesn’t make it less true.
“This might sound corny but all my dreams are coming true. OMIGOD, it’s amazing. First day, we were just coming to do our best in team and get a top 8. And then we came fifth and that was more than we could imagine. And then when I found out I was in all-around and then Justin Bieber tweeted me! It was all so overwhelming. I’ve been blessed so much this week.’’
Just a year ago, Pegg crushingly broke her hand on the eve of the Pan Am Games, had to fly home to Sarnia and have three pins inserted, then begin the rehabilitation process. In London, she was not supposed to contend for the all-around, originally not slated for the vault in the team segment, which would have excluded her from the individual bracket yesterday. “Then, at the last minute as we were lining up, it was, OK Dom, you’re in vault. Oh.’’
She felt a tad forlorn out there by herself, only coach Dave Brubaker for company, no team girlfriends competing alongside, though she could hear them hollering encouragement from the stands. “I was a little bit lonely without my teammates hugging me and cheering me on.’’
Beam up first, she managed to stay on the always-treacherous apparatus, was slightly low on her floor routine landings, stuck the vault and swung with sureness on the bars, racking up 55.565 points in a competition that featured a monumental battle for domination among Americans and Russians. Gabby Douglas of the U.S. just barely held off Victoria Komova for gold, with Russian Aliya Mustafina edging past Douglas’ teammate Aly Raisman for bronze. Team U.S.A., of course, beat back their Russian rivals in the team competition, ending a 16-year Olympic gold drought.
Pegg sucked up all that excitement swirling around her, not remotely intimidated by the grand dames of her sport.
“I wasn’t thinking of it as (everybody) cheering for them. I was just using their energy to get me pumped up and just take it all in because I’ll never get this experience again.’’
Maybe yes and maybe no — there’s high school to finish yet, then hopefully a sports scholarship to an American university. Pegg can’t think about that future now. Too busy savouring the moment and reading her hundreds of messages from friends at home.
“My Twitter is just blowing up.’’
Perhaps the Beeb might even tweet her again.
OMIGOD.
MORE
Canadian gymnastics team set to give front-runners a run for their money
Canadian Olympic athletes embrace Social Media GamesE
A tantalizing voice from out in the social media ether had Dominique Pegg rolling around on the floor, rapturous.
Now, rolling around on the floor is something the bendy teenager does awfully well. That tiny five-foot-two frame — actually capacious dimensions in the munchkin land of elite gymnastics — packs a contortionist punch: on the mat, on the beam, on the vault and on the uneven bars.
With her teammates, Pegg pulled off a swinging coup in the squad competition Tuesday, their fifth place finish the highest result Canada has ever achieved, bettering No. 6 at worlds way back in 1989. The bonus, thoroughly unexpected, was that Pegg qualified as well for the prestigious all-around individual competition. She was the only Canadian female to make the top-24 cut.
Yet even that thrill was surpassed by a Twitter message Pegg received right after from — OMIGOD! Insert girl-shriek here — Justin Bieber.
Pegg had nudged the pop sensation first, one of The Beeb’s 26 million Twitter-head followers, suggesting maybe he would, like, want to give the Canadian girl gymnasts a good luck shout-out.
He heard the longing plea and responded.
“Sorry Im late 2 the party. Want to let you know as a proud Canadian Im always supporting you and proud of you STAND UP CANADA’’
Pegg literally swooned.
That message arrived simultaneous with the news Pegg was good-to-go in the individual event.
“We were back in the (athletes’) village,’’ the 18-year-old said yesterday, after finishing 19th in the all-around. “I was crying on the floor from Justin Bieber tweeting me. The TV was on and the scores came up and I saw I had the qualified ‘Q’ beside my name.’’
A double whammy, the hot damn kind, and could life get any better?
Well, she’s got tickets to a Bieber concert in November so, yes, it can. And maybe, just maybe, if the blessings keep piling up, OMIGOD!, she might even get to meet the pin-up heartthrob backstage? Really, why not? As he says, you’ve got to Be-leeb. “Hopefully. Hopefully!’’
Bieber may not know a Yushenko from a Tsukahara — and seriously, who does in the non-tumbling universe? — but these two Canadians do have points of commonality. “We kind of have, like, a same story,’’ Pegg enthuses. “OK, not really. I’m not as famous as Justin Bieber. But I came from a small town and had a big dream and my dreams are coming true, just like him. He really inspires me.’’
Dream is a word heard endlessly ’round the Games. That doesn’t make it less true.
“This might sound corny but all my dreams are coming true. OMIGOD, it’s amazing. First day, we were just coming to do our best in team and get a top 8. And then we came fifth and that was more than we could imagine. And then when I found out I was in all-around and then Justin Bieber tweeted me! It was all so overwhelming. I’ve been blessed so much this week.’’
Just a year ago, Pegg crushingly broke her hand on the eve of the Pan Am Games, had to fly home to Sarnia and have three pins inserted, then begin the rehabilitation process. In London, she was not supposed to contend for the all-around, originally not slated for the vault in the team segment, which would have excluded her from the individual bracket yesterday. “Then, at the last minute as we were lining up, it was, OK Dom, you’re in vault. Oh.’’
She felt a tad forlorn out there by herself, only coach Dave Brubaker for company, no team girlfriends competing alongside, though she could hear them hollering encouragement from the stands. “I was a little bit lonely without my teammates hugging me and cheering me on.’’
Beam up first, she managed to stay on the always-treacherous apparatus, was slightly low on her floor routine landings, stuck the vault and swung with sureness on the bars, racking up 55.565 points in a competition that featured a monumental battle for domination among Americans and Russians. Gabby Douglas of the U.S. just barely held off Victoria Komova for gold, with Russian Aliya Mustafina edging past Douglas’ teammate Aly Raisman for bronze. Team U.S.A., of course, beat back their Russian rivals in the team competition, ending a 16-year Olympic gold drought.
Pegg sucked up all that excitement swirling around her, not remotely intimidated by the grand dames of her sport.
“I wasn’t thinking of it as (everybody) cheering for them. I was just using their energy to get me pumped up and just take it all in because I’ll never get this experience again.’’
Maybe yes and maybe no — there’s high school to finish yet, then hopefully a sports scholarship to an American university. Pegg can’t think about that future now. Too busy savouring the moment and reading her hundreds of messages from friends at home.
“My Twitter is just blowing up.’’
Perhaps the Beeb might even tweet her again.
OMIGOD.
MORE
Canadian gymnastics team set to give front-runners a run for their money
Canadian Olympic athletes embrace Social Media GamesE
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