Olympics create exciting buzz among Manitoba athletes

August 12, 2024 Canuck

TRP Academy in south Winnipeg is the home of two-time Olympian Skylar Park.

One of her long-time coaches Shayne McGowan couldn’t be more proud of her success.

“She demonstrated that at the age of seven or eight years old when she went on and said ‘My goal is to go on to the Olympics,’” McGowan said.

Now 25, Park returned from the Paris Olympics with a bronze medal in taekwondo and a legacy inspiring others.

“Enrollment is going to be bigger,” McGowan said. “We’ve already got lots of past members that have not only been encouraged, but are saying ‘Hey maybe I have some more time and can come back and get involved in this.’”

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But it’s not just the dojo feeling the effects of the recent Summer Olympics in Paris. Athletics Manitoba executive Director Alanna Boudreau says she’s also seeing it on the track.

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“Often it inspires our local athletes to keep working harder and letting them see it’s a possibility – they really can go out there and achieve their goals,” Boudreau said. “It’s also an opportunity for people who aren’t necessarily as familiar with the sport to really see these other event opportunities.”

The Paris Olympics timed perfectly for young provincial-level athletes, as the Manitoba Summer Games are now underway in Dauphin.

Sport Manitoba’s Kylo Harris says the competitors are feeling an extra buzz.

“There’s definitely an increased sense of belonging to sport,” Harris said. “You see that collectiveness of what sport does and then we engage and reflect and bring more people into the sports world.”

With the 2024 Games ending Sunday and Canadian Olympians returning home, Manitoba athletes now have their chance to shine and provincial organizations are preparing for an influx of new dreamers.