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2012 Olympic all-around finalist Marta Pihan-Kulesza told IG that, at age 26, she feels more confident than ever as she aims for the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro.

“I really don’t think about my age,” said Pihan-Kulesza, who competed at the 2008 Beijing Games and finished 19th all-around at the 2012 London Games. “I don’t feel like I’m the almost-oldest one. I feel really good, so I plan to do better in Rio than in London.”

Pihan-Kulesza said her unsteady performance at last weekend’s Gymnastics Legends International meet in Los Angeles was nonetheless a positive start to her competition year.

“I changed my vault to a Yurchenko,” she said. “In my 20 years in gymnastics I never did a Yurchenko, so I tried, because I didn’t see a chance to upgrade my front vault. I also did a new floor routine. Bars and beam were awful, but this competition was experience for me. It’s the best way to prepare for an important competition.”

During her 20s, Pihan-Kulesza has won 14 medals, including five golds, at World Cup and FIG Challenge Cup events. She placed 41st all-around at last fall’s world championships in Antwerp, despite short preparation.

“After the Olympics, I decided to quit, but life changes,” said Pihan-Kulesza who completed her degree in physical therapy and is now coaching young male gymnasts. “Shortly before worlds I decided to come back.”

Pihan-Kulesza said she enters the 2014 season in good health, following treatment late last year on one of her shoulders and surgery on her left ankle. She is already looking ahead to solid results in Rio.

“I hope to make the floor final, because my floor is pretty good, and I plan to upgrade my acrobatic passes,” said Pihan-Kulesza, who performed to “The Pink Panther” at the Legends meet. “So I hope it will be great.”

Pihan-Kulesza also has high hopes for her husband and fellow 2012 Olympian, Roman Kulesza, whom she married shortly after the 2008 Games.

“Roman is still training,” she said. “He doesn’t have any competitions right now so he’s focusing on training, but I think he’s in good shape. I really hope for him to do better.”

Is Pihan-Kulesza’s other goal for the Rio Games to again join her husband on the Olympic podium?

“Yeah, of course,” she said with a cheerful laugh. “Always together.”

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After bowing out of last fall's world championships, the Australian women are aiming to show off what they can do at Saturday's Nadia Comaneci International in Oklahoma City.

Australia sent a top squad of senior and junior hopefuls to the competition in Oklahoma City, where the lineup also includes gymnasts from Canada, Romania and the United States. The annual competition is part of a weekend of sport and health events through Bart & Nadia Sports Experience.

Georgia-Rose Brown

The Australian women bypassed the world championships in 2013 — a post-Olympic year that many countries typically view as a rebuilding phase for the new quadrennium.

Two-time Australian Olympian Allana Slater, who accompanied the team as a judge, expressed confidence in her group. 2012 Olympic alternate Georgia-Rose Brown leads the team of seniors Georgia Godwin, Maddi Leydin and Kiara Munteanu.

"It's the first competition pretty much in a year for these girls," Slater said. "We took a year off for these girls to build skills back in Australia and they've done a really good job."

Slater said that because it is still early in the season, it was good to bring the gymnasts back to competition at a relaxed atmosphere.

"For the Australian girls, it is really good to get a competition in at the beginning of the season, enjoying the travel and enjoying the training and competing," Slater said. "This is a lovely event to come to. There's a lot of very friendly people, but not a lot of pressure. We get to test out a lot of new combinations and that is our aims and expectations: to just try to hit our routines."

2014 will see major events for juniors and seniors, including the Pacific Rim Championships, the II Youth Olympic Games, the Commonwealth Games and the world championships. The gymnasts brought to Oklahoma City will all be in contention, Slater said.

"They've got a lot going on, but they're tough and they can get through it," she said confidently.

The competition roster also includes gymnasts from four Canadian clubs, as well as several rising talents from WOGA. The WOGA gymnasts include foreign-born Irina Alexeeva (Russia) and Ava Verdeflor (Philippines). Alexeeva is seeking U.S. citizenship while Verdeflor hopes to represent the Philippines.

Romania sent three young gymnasts who will be seniors in 2017: Olivia Cimpian, Ioana Ciprin and Alexandra Mihai.

Former champion Jessica Lopez, the two-time Olympian from Venezuela, was expected to compete but withdrew because of injury.

International Gymnast Magazine will do live commentary on itsOfficial Facebook Page beginning 7 p.m. CST.

2014 Nadia Comaneci International Invitational
Feb. 22, Oklahoma City

Georgia Godwin	Gymnastics Queensland
Georgia-Rose Brown	Victorian Institute of Sport (VIS)
Maddi Leydin	Victorian Institute of Sport (VIS)
Kiara Munteanu	Victorian Institute of Sport (VIS)
Yasmin Collier	Western Australian Institute of Sport
Aya Meggs	Western Australian Institute of Sport
Darcy Norman	Western Australian Institute of Sport
Mariana Colussi-Pelaez	Futures Gymnastics
Rose-Kaying Woo	Gym Richelieu
Victoria-Kayen Woo	Gym Richelieu
Hélody Cyrenne	Gym Richelieu
Lauri-Ann Demers	Gym Richelieu
Montana Fairbairn	Stampede
Ava Verdeflor	WOGA
Olivia Cimpian	Cetate Deva
Ioana Crisan	Cetate Deva
Alexandra Mihai	Cetate Deva
Irina Alexeeva	WOGA
Jenna Dunn	Bart Conner Gymnastics Academy
Alexandra Marks	Bart Conner Gymnastics Academy
Victoria Loomis	Denton Gymnastics
Alexis Stokes	Denton Gymnastics
Alyssa LaDieu	Denton Gymnastics
Asia DeWalt	WOGA
Lauren Farley	WOGA
Samantha Ogden	WOGA