Gymnast Jackson Payne pushes through challenges to win silver medal for Canada

As he held his throbbing right ankle, Jackson Payne must have considered the jarring parallels.

Three years ago, another mishap — which, eerily enough, also took place in the Jack Simpson Gymnasium at the University of Calgary — had serious consequences for Payne. A ruptured Achilles tendon put him on the sidelines only a week before the Pan-Am Games in Toronto.

This time, just days prior to his departure for the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Australia, Payne hoped he wasn't in a similar pickle. "In my head, I definitely had the thought, 'Oh, shoot. Is this going to take me out?'" the gymnast said. "But I knew nothing had broken or torn or anything like that."

A day's rest and reflection did wonders. His coaches decided that Payne would travel and, heavily taped, would perform for Canada.

"I was ready to go," said the 26-year-old, whose signature hashtag is #nopaynenogain. "It ended up being fine. In those situations, you've got to really trust your confidence and trust your training … and that your body knows what to do."

‘I think we showed the world we're improving as a team’

It worked out wonderfully. Entered in five of the six disciplines, Payne was a member of the fivesome that earned silver in the men's artistic gymnastics team event this week.

The outfit — which included Zach Clay of Coquitlam, B.C., Rene Cournoyer of Repentigny, Que., Scott Morgan of Vancouver, and Cory Paterson of Montreal — trailed only England.

"We showed really well to the world," said Payne, who is a health and physiology student in the Faculty of Kinesiology. "The whole gymnastics world definitely knows about the Commonwealth Games — they look at the scores, they look at the placings. I think we showed the world we're improving as a team.

"Realistically, our goal was second. We wanted to be as tight as we could to (England). But we knew they had to make many mistakes and we had to be absolutely perfect in order to beat them. We're pretty happy with the performance we had.

"Personally, I feel very proud to be on this team. Definitely one of my prouder moments."

Relying on community support

Payne's transition — from the trainer's table to the podium — may appear remarkable, but he is no stranger to challenges.

"There's definitely been some speed bumps in the road … I seem to have had my fair share of them," he said. "Overcoming things has a lot to do with my family and friends and my support group, my physiotherapists, my coaches.

"The hardships come, but I just try to take them one step at a time."

After failing to qualify for the 2012 Olympics in London — and he'd come very close — Payne, then 21, decided it was time to fulfill his mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. So he spent two years in South Korea, in the process cutting into the prime of his development as a gymnast.

No worries. Coming home and swatting aside the rust, the Edmonton native became the 2015 Canadian all-round champion.

Then came that Achilles issue, which he shrugged off in time to capture another national all-round title. But that year he settled for being named an alternate for the Summer Games in Rio de Janeiro.

Next big goal: Tokyo in 2020

Not surprisingly, he wants more. There are world championships and, of course, the next Olympics, 2020 in Tokyo.

"Now here we are," he said, chuckling. "I'm hoping I can get my act together in the next two years."

Following the Commonwealth Games, he travels to Japan for an invitation-only World Cup event. Which is good, because Payne wants to immediately build off his performance on the Gold Coast.

"I know I'm there, I know I'm able to get those medals — I have the ability to do that," he said. "This time I didn't show what I needed to at the time, so it's just a matter of waiting for the next chance I have."

The rest of team UCalgary

Other athletes connected to the University of Calgary who are competing in the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games until April 15 include:

• David Kapinga was named tournament MVP after leading the University of Calgary Dinos this year to their first national title in men’s basketball. A fourth-year student in the Faculty of Arts, he joins Dinos teammate Mambi Diawara on Canada’s men’s basketball squad at the 2018 Commonwealth Games. (Competes April 6-15).
• Mambi Diawara’s basket in the final seconds of the championship game won the Dinos their first-ever national title. A student in the Faculty of Arts, Diawara joins Dinos teammate David Kapinga on Canada’s men’s basketball squad at the 2018 Commonwealth Games. (Competes April 6-15)
• Cyclist Allison Beveridge is a student in the Faculty of Kinesiology and an Olympian. She competes in both the track and road cycling events at the 2018 Commonwealth Games. (Competes April 10-16)
• Swimmer Tristan Cote is a Dinos athlete and student in the Faculty of Arts. He competes in the 400 and 200 IM events at the 2018 Commonwealth Games. (Competes April 6 and April 10)
• Wrestler Danielle Lappage is a student in the Faculty of Law and part of the university’s wrestling club. She competed in the Olympic Games in Rio 2016, and competes in the 2018 Commonwealth Games in the Women’s Freestyle 68kg event. (Competes April 13)
• Swimmer Rachel Nicol is a student in the Faculty of Kinesiology, a Dino team member, and Olympian. She competes at the 2018 Commonwealth Games in the 50m and 100m breaststroke and team medley. (Competes April 5-8)
• Wrestler and two-time University of Calgary graduate Erica Wiebe, BKin’12, BA’16, is a former Dino, a 2014 Commonwealth Games champion, and gold medalist from the 2016 Rio Games, her first Olympics. (Competes April 12)
• Heptathlete Niki Oudenaarden is a former Dino and student in the Faculty of Kinesiology. She competes in athletics at the 2018 Commonwealth Games.  (Competes April 12-13)
• Sprinter Sam Effah, BComm’14, a former Dino team captain and Athlete of the Year, is one of the fastest Canadians ever. He’ll compete in the 100m and the 4x100m relay in the 2018 Commonwealth Games. (Competes April 8-14)

(Andrea Kingwell contributed to this report)