Rio superstar Oleksiak juggling school, swimming and fame

VANCOUVER Penny Oleksiak still finds it hard to believe that she gets asked for autographs.

“There were a couple girls waiting for me at the airport when I got here,” the 17-year-old swimming star said Thursday after training for this weekend’s Mel Zajac Jr. International meet at the University of British Columbia. “I think it’s not normal, but it’s something I’ve adjusted to and got used to.”

Oleksiak became a household name while winning four swimming medals at the 2016 Rio Olympics, but the Toronto native is still trying to figure out how fame has changed her life.

“Honestly, it’s hard to say (how), because I can’t really remember what I was doing before,” she said. “I was just living my life like a normal teen and, now, that’s what I’m (still) doing — but there’s obviously some people watching.”

But the attention nationwide attention that came almost overnight in Rio is not a big deal to her anymore.

“I think, at first, it was a bit more exciting for me,” she said. “I was, like, ‘Oh, this is cool and I can get my story out.’ And then, I was kind of like, ‘Now I’ve told everyone my story.”’

So Oleksiak is getting on with life as she attempts to follow up on her success as the first Canadian to win four medals in the same Summer Games and the country’s youngest Olympic champion. In Rio she won gold in the 100-metre freestyle, silver in the 100-metre butterfly, and two bronzes in the women’s four-by-100 and the four-by-200 freestyle relays.

The accomplishments brought many accolades, including being named Canada’s flag-bearer in the Rio closing ceremony and the winner of the 2016 Lou Marsh Trophy as Canada’s athlete of the year. Canada’s Olympic women’s swim team was named The Canadian Press team of the year in 2016.