Ellie Black leads Canada's artistic gymnasts after 1st day of Rio selection camp

Canada's 2012 Olympic veterans Ellie Black and Brittany Rogers led the pack of Rio hopefuls at the national artistic gymnastics selection camp Monday in Gatineau, Que.

Halifax's Black finished first all-around in the opening day of competition with a first-place result on her vault and her floor routine. The 20-year-old reigning Pan Am champion was third on the beam and uneven bars. 

Following a strong vault, Vancouver's Rogers was second all-around behind Black. 

The camp features 11 of Canada's top women's artistic gymnasts, all competing for one of five spots on the Canadian team for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil this summer.

"We have various priorities to consider when we decide on which athletes to choose," said Dave Brubaker, national team director for women's artistic gymnastics at Gymnastics Canada.

"One priority is the ability to win a medal, another priority is the ability to make a final. Then there's the priority to be strong on two, preferably three events. So for those fourth and fifth spots, we're really looking for event specialists who can help contribute to that overall team total."

There will be another competition on Wednesday morning at 11 a.m. ET, following which the selection committee will name the first three athletes who will have qualified for the team based on the number of points they have accumulated from the 2015 World Championships, 2016 Elite Canada, 2016 Canadian Championships, select international competitions between February and March, and the national selection camp.

The remaining two athletes will be named on Thursday as part of the official team announcement with the Canadian Olympic Committee.