Humble, loyal, and better than ever: Ellie Black is a national treasure

There she is, tumbling and twisting her way into the stratosphere in what is arguably the world's most impossible sport.

At 27 years of age gymnast Ellie Black is still going strong. 

She's defying the march of time and some say she is better than ever. More importantly, she's taking this country to new heights on the international stage in a pursuit which is tailored to athletes much younger than herself.

"She's not afraid to be so great," exclaimed the effervescent Elfi Schlegel, a Commonwealth Games champion for Canada in 1978. "I feel youthful when I watch her. She's not afraid to be Canadian and to belong where she is. She really needs to be applauded for all that she's done and continues to do."

What Black has done since making her major international debut at the London 2012 Olympic Games is nothing short of remarkable.

As a 16-year-old, she helped lead the Canadian women to the team final at those Games for the first time in history. They wound up finishing fifth, which is unheard of when you consider the depth of competition.

As an individual performer, Black is a two-time Pan American Games champion, Commonwealth Games champion, and world championship silver medallist in the all-around category which requires every gymnastics skill in the book. To list all of her international medals would be an exhausting exercise, as there are almost too many to count.

Longevity is rare in women's gymnastics. Black has already competed at three Olympics and in each has recorded landmark Canadian results. There was the team breakthrough in London. In Rio in 2016, she was fifth in the all-around and in Tokyo she just missed a medal by finishing fourth in the balance beam final on a badly sprained ankle.

All of these results are