A Campbell River woman will be competing in the upcoming Paris Olympics on the Women’s Eight Rowing Team.
The roster was announced this week, and Avalon Wasteneys is on the team again. She competed in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, when the team won gold.
“Returning for my second Olympic Games makes me feel incredibly grateful for all the amazing support and hard work that has brought us to this point,” said Wasteneys. “Heading into Paris, I’m really looking forward to witnessing a full Olympic experience, especially after the more limited Tokyo Olympic Games experience during the global pandemic. What I am genuinely most excited about is getting out there and competing with my teammates. This crew continually excels under pressure, and I can’t wait to see how we rise to the challenge of performing at the highest possible level in Paris!”
Four of the women on this year’s team, including Wasteneys, are returning champions and are looking forward to defending their gold.
Two other athletes from Vancouver Island will be heading to Paris with the rowing team. Caileigh Filmer from Victoria won Olympic bronze in the women’s pair at Tokyo 2020 with Hillary Janssens, and will compete at her third Olympic Games. Filmer returned to rowing in 2023 after spending a couple of years away competing in road and track cycling. Filmer made her Olympic debut in the women’s eight at Rio 2016 and is looking forward to being back in the big boat in Paris.
Sydney Payne also made the team, her first Olympics were in Tokyo 2020 when she was a member of the gold-winning team.
Since Tokyo 2020, Payne has remained a fixture in Canada’s women’s eight, helping to bring home a bronze medal from the 2022 World Rowing Championships, silvers from the 2022 World Rowing Cup III and 2023 World Rowing Cup III, and an inspiring gold from the 2024 World Rowing Cup II in Lucerne, Switzerland.
With 43 medals, rowing is one of Canada’s most successful Olympic summer sports.
