By J . M. Lee
Pari Goyal is a Canadian National Team member in Rhythmic Gymnastics. Pari is 18 years old and has been pursuing gymnastics for over 13 years. At the Canadian National Championships this year (2024) Pari placed 7th overall in Canada and received a special judges choice award. Pari has just graduated from high school and will be studying in the ‘Science One’ program at UBC.
As a second-generation immigrant, Pari was introduced to new opportunities, including rhythmic gymnastics. At the age of four, she twirled into the world of this sport. Her love for gymnastics grew with time, leading her to receive many Provincial and Western Champion titles as a pre-teen. She began competing nationally at 12 and has since achieved many high rankings in Canada.
Some of her most excellent placements include a gold medal from Elite Canada in 2021 and three bronze medals from the Canadian National Championships in 2019 and 2021. In 2022, Pari earned a spot on the Canadian National Rhythmic Gymnastics Group Team. She proudly represented the country on the global stage. Since then, she has held her spot on the National Team and even improved her ranking.
Her gymnastics achievements resulted from a 13-year journey that included lessons in her entire life. Her athletic endeavors have taught her the value of commitment, hard work, discipline, and resilience.
She has learned the power of dreaming big and taking steady steps toward her goals through rhythmic gymnastics. Pari’s path has been filled with obstacles, such as injuries and self-doubt. However, her love for the sport has helped her overcome these challenges. Whether it meant missing family gatherings or waking up at 5:00 am for training before school, her diligence and dedication have propelled her toward achieving her dream of representing Canada on the global stage.
The pursuit of her dreams took her from competing in local competitions to traveling alone for training camps worldwide. During the summer of 2022, Pari trained with the Canadian National Group in Toronto. She later traveled to Romania and Bulgaria for the World Challenge Cup and the World Championships. As the youngest and smallest team member, enduring up to eight hours of training each day was demanding. Yet, she pushed herself, and with only two months of preparation, her team ranked within the top 15 worldwide. Today, as one of the senior gymnasts in her club, she helps mentor and guide younger gymnasts during training and competitions.
Pari values her role as a Canadian Team member and continually strives to uphold the high expectations it entails. Pari is grateful for all the support she has received from her family, coaches, and sponsors, Venturelli and Lift Clinic. With the love and support of all these people she has reached where she is today, and she looks forward to what the future holds.
One of her goals as an athlete has been to make the European-dominated gymnastics community more inclusive, particularly for South Asian gymnasts. Her experiences as a leader in her community have been transformative, both for the people she has mentored and for herself.
In addition to sports, she has also won many awards for her academic pursuits. Throughout high school Pari has created projects ranging from antiseptic bandages to inventing sustainable energy solutions. In 2022, her project on a vertical axis wind turbine won the bronze medal at the Canada-Wide Science Fair, placing it among the highest honorees out of 186 entries from BC. She also won the UBC Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering Award, the Society for Canadian Women in Science and Technology Award, and the BC Hydro Power Pioneers Award for this project. Every year, she spends over 100 hours researching, planning, testing, and analyzing data she collects from experiments. One of her favorite projects has been developing the optimal design of a triboelectric nanogenerator powered by rain droplets. She presented this project at the Youth Innovation Showcase in 2023 and finished as a finalist.
As a South Asian athlete with high rankings in sports and academics, Pari has helped forge a previously undiscovered path for younger generations. Her accomplishments have proven that it is possible to strive in athletics without leaving behind academics. She hopes to inspire others to follow their dreams. She advises the younger generation to work hard, focus on their physical and mental health, and learn discipline.
