A Penny for her thoughts
Rio hero Oleksiak keeping her two worlds separate
Ayear ago, Penny Oleksiak was a relative unknown — someone who, if not for her 6- foot-1 stature, would generally blend into a crowd. She was an exceptional swimmer living a fairly normal teenage life in Toronto’s east end, her first Olympics around the bend.
Eleven months ago, Oleksiak stretched her legs straight and proud on the Olympic podium four times in a six- day span at the Rio Summer Games. Barely 16 and practically an overnight sensation, a Canadian sporting star was born.
Now, with the internal thrill of the Rio medal haul dulled but its marketability not forgotten by others, Oleksiak is her own unique brand. As the current and future co- face of summer sports in Canada — sharing the spotlight with super sprinter Andre De Grasse — she garners plenty of attention away from the pool.
According to Oleksiak, though, life is “still pretty chill” nowadays. Canada’s closing ceremony flag-bearer for the 2016 Olympics maintains “not a lot has changed” since she became the first Canadian to win four medals in one Summer Games last August.
“I think I’m pretty good at separating my lives. I have my swim life and then I have my social life/ life outside of swimming,” Oleksiak said Friday following an in- pool workout at the Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre, where Canada’s national swim team is revving up for the upcoming Hungary- hosted FINA World Championships.
“When I’m on the pool deck and I’m training, I’m very on it, (very focused on) what I’m doing. Outside the pool, I’m super chill. I’ll hang out with my friends and keep my mind off swimming. It’s two completely separate worlds for me.”
External expectations tend to balloon following Olympic success, especially in the extreme case of Oleksiak and Rio. A gold medal in women’s 100- metre freestyle, silver in 100 butterfly and a pair of bronzes in relay events will lure the attention of others in the form of public appearances, media sessions and corporate partnerships.
Case in point: Oleksiak presented an award alongside actor Jason Priestley at the 2017 Canadian Screen Awards in March and didn’t look out of place, drawing laughs from the crowd.
“I think she has handled it extremely well for a person of her age,” says Ben Titley, Canada’s national team coach, before adding, “This year has been the big learning year for her and the people around her.”
While post- Rio Oleksiak seems wiser than pre- Rio Oleksiak, everything about her remains uber youthful. She’s so down to earth that it makes you question her motives for a second. There’s a serious Canadian vibe to her aura.
“I think she’s still the same Penny. We still see her as the same person,” says Michelle Toro, Oleksiak’s teammate in the bronze- winning 4x100metre freestyle relay last summer.
Adds Toro of the 17- yearold who has partnerships with RBC bank, the ME to WE charity and ASICS shoe company: “She’s really matured so much since I met her ( in 2014). She’s just had so much going on this year and I didn’t even know about it. She would keep it all outside. When she’s at the pool, she’s here to train.”
Oleksiak, who i n June set a Canadian record in women’s 50- metre butterfly at a worlds tune-up event in Barcelona, says she’s able to block out all the noise before diving off the blocks.
That mindset will help at her first worlds. Oleksiak, Canada’s youngest- e ver gold Olympic gold medallist and the 2016 winner of the Lou Marsh Award, won’t be sneaking up on anybody.
“Personally, I don’t think there’s a target on my back,” Oleksiak says. “Definitely, I think a lot of other people would think that, but I like to go into meets with no (personal) pressure.”
Oleksiak is eligible for the 17- and- under world junior championships, too, which are set for August in Indianapolis. There, she’ll compete in relay events and, as Titley puts it, “hopefully win some gold medals, hopefully break some world junior world records.”
In between Hungary and Indy is another essential event on Oleksiak’s calendar: OVO Fest, rapper Drake’s annual bash. Oleksiak received a shoutout from Drake following her performance in Rio and has since met another hip- hop star, Chance The Rapper, as well as Toronto Raptors president Masai Ujiri.
There are perks to being incredibly good at swimming and letting your personality shine through social media and other outlets.
“My f ri ends will j oke about it,” she said. “They’re like, ‘Introduce me to famous people. Bring me to this, get me free stuff.’”
Sounds pretty chill.