Sports

King Township’s Rosie MacLennan off to Tokyo

July 22, 2021   ·   0 Comments

By Robert Belardi 

King City’s own Rosie MacLennan will be part of Canada’ trampoline gymnastics team, as announced on July 5. 

Gymnastics Canada and the Canadian Olympic Committee stated MacLennan, along with Vancouver, BC’s Samantha Smith, will be spearheading Team Canada in their next attempt at international glory. 

Back in 2012, MacLennan won Gold in London and became the first trampolinist to win back-to-back gold medals in Rio in 2016. Now, she has the chance to become the first trampolinist to win a three-peat. 

“I am incredibly excited to be named to the Olympic Team and to have the opportunity to compete in my fourth Olympic Games,” MacLennan said in a statement.

“So much has changed in the last five years, but what hasn’t changed is my love for the sport and the support from those around me. I’m so grateful to the people around me who have supported me through the entire process.” 

In order to officially qualify for the upcoming Olympics, MacLennan earned her place through the 2019 World Championships. King City’s star trampolinist came in fourth in the semifinals and advanced all the way to the final, falling short but earning a bronze medal in the process.

According to the regulations and rules, the top eight athletes in the World Championships would secure what is called a quota spot for the Olympics. Only one athlete per country was permitted to go through. 

The Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, set to begin on July 23, will be held without any fans as per the latest reports coming out of Japan. 

Tokyo’s new state of emergency due to rising cases of COVID-19 is planned to run from July 12 to August 22. The Olympics is set to run only until August 8. 

Some reports have speculated if the lack of fans will hinder the performance of athletes.

According to a report from The Wall Street Journal, Tokyo 2020 President Seiko Hashimoto, who was previously a speed skater and cyclist, hopes that all athletes will compete at their highest level despite the lack of any noise coming from the stands. 

It was also said that around $800 million in ticket revenue will be lost. 

But despite the outside noise, that won’t stop in Team Canada in trying to out-master other nations and most definitely won’t put a road block in front of MacLennan. 

Team Canada will be hungry. You can be sure of that. 

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