Rosie will lead the way for Canada
OTTAWA — Rosie MacLennan, the star gymnast who won Canada’s lone gold medal in London four years ago, will carry the Maple Leaf into the opening ceremony at next month’s Rio Olympics. The 27-year-old trampoline athlete from King City, just northwest of Toronto, was named Canada’s flagbearer Thursday on Parliament Hill in a ceremony attended by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
“To lead my country into the opening ceremony makes me feel so proud to be Canadian,” she said in a statement. “Joining the ranks of all the incredible athletes who have come before me is definitely a highlight of my career so far and one that I will remember for the rest of my life.”
Triathlete Simon Whitfield carried the flag into the stadium four years ago in London, England.
It’s been a challenging lead-up for the 27-year-old MacLennan.
Her training was derailed last fall due to a concussion.
She went on to book her ticket to Rio with a fourth-place finish at November’s world championship.
MacLennan says she’s feeling healthy again and is ready to defend her title in Brazil.
The Canadian packs a lot of power in her taut five-foot-two frame and uses it to get those precious extra split-seconds in the air. Her twists, flips and somersaults appear effortless and have a smooth fluidity.
She made her first world championship appearance in 2005 and won bronze two years later.
She earned Pan Am silver at the 2007 Games in Rio and finished seventh in her Olympic debut at the 2008 Beijing Games.
She showed her London win was no fluke by taking her first world title in 2013 and adding silver the following year. Last summer, she captured gold in front of a hometown crowd at the Toronto Pan Am Games.
The Rio Olympics open Aug. 5. Canada will be sending a team of more than 300 athletes.
ROSIE MACLENNAN
Star trampoline athlete Rosie MacLennan will carry the Canadian flag into the opening ceremony at next month’s Rio Olympics. Here’s a quick look at the Olympic gold medallist: FULL NAME: Rosannagh MacLennan AGE: 27 HOMETOWN: King City, Ont. CAREER HIGH: Earned a career high score of 57.305 for her routine that gave Canada its only gold medal of the London Olympics. OTHER NOTABLE RESULTS: Gold at 2015 Toronto Pan American Games and 2011 Guadalajara Pan Am Games. EDUCATION: Graduated from University of Toronto in 2011 with bachelor’s degree in physical education and health; pursuing master’s in exercise science U of T. IDOL: Names fellow Olympic trampoline gymnast Karen Cockburn as her role model. The two shared the podium at the 2015 Pan Am Games, where Cockburn won bronze to complement McLennan’s gold. HOBBIES: Also enjoys snowboarding, skiing and wakeboarding