Karen Kelsall

Karen Barbara Kelsall (born December 11, 1962) is a Canadian chiropractor and a retired gymnast and dancer. She was the youngest competitor at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal and was one of the first Canadian gymnasts to attract attention from the international gymnastics community.

Career Early career Kelsall began gymnastics training at around the age of nine. Although born in Canada, she spent a significant portion of her gymnastics career training in the United States. Her mother, dissatisfied with her progress at a Vancouver gymnastics club, sent her to train under coach Dick Mulvihill in Oregon. Kelsall quickly advanced, eventually ranking in the top five by the Canadian Gymnastics Federation, despite previously not even being considered for the Olympic team. She trained under Dick and Linda Mulvihill, who were pioneering the use of video analysis and mechanical spotting equipment in gymnastics training at the time.

Senior career She was the junior Canadian national champion in 1976, the senior National Champion in 1977 and 1980, and the British Columbian champion in 1977. She trained up to 8 hours a day while attending school for a half a day.

Kelsall expressed enthusiasm at the opportunity to compete at the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow, remarking that due to her young age, she felt she had missed out on some activities at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal. However, Canada participated in the 1980 Summer Olympics boycott, and as such, Kelsall did not have the opportunity to attend a second Olympic Games. She moved on to college, where she competed as an NCAA gymnast for the University of California, Berkeley for four years.

Later life After her undergraduate work and a brief career as a professional dancer, Kelsall returned to university. She is currently a chiropractor in the Pacific Northwest, with additional certification in massage therapy and other modalities.

Kelsall was featured in the book "The Making of a Gymnast: The Karen Kelsall Story" (1978) authored by Jean Boulogne.