Follow #OurAthletes: Paula Findlay and Ben Hayward look back on Pan Am
Edmonton athletes bring inside story from Pan Am Games in Toronto
Over the past few weeks, athletes from across Canada have been gearing up to compete in July's Pan Am and Parapan Am Games in Toronto.
Using the #OurAthletes hashtag, CBC News paired up with competitors Paula Findlay and Ben Hayward to give Canadians a behind-the-scenes look at the competition, training and day-to-day life, both leading up to and during the games.
Paula Findlay — Triathlon
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| Hometown: Edmonton Neighbourhood: Glenora High school: St. Francis Xavier University: One year left to go in general sciences degree at the University of Alberta |
Paula Findlay, 26, has been swimming since she was 10 years old. She added running to the mix in high school, did her first triathlon a few years later and hasn't looked back since.
Competing internationally since 2006, Findlay has racked up an impressive list of wins, including a first-place finish — Canada's first — at the 2010 World Championship Series race in London's Hyde Park.
Findlay currently lives and trains in Boulder, Colo.
- READ MORE: Triathlete Paula Findlay hopes for best season yet
- Q&A with Edmonton's hometown hero Paula Findlay
- WRAP: Paula Findlay preps for her biggest race of the year
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Ben Hayward — Slalom Kayak
 | Hometown: Edmonton Neighbourhood: Riverdale & Old Strathcona High school: Old Strathcona Composite University: Bachelor's degree in architectural design at University of Ottawa; studies currently on hold |
A then-12-year-old Ben Hayward learned to kayak in the blue waters of the Kinsmen Sports Centre pool. From there, kayak polo matches quickly ignited a deep love for whitewater paddling.
At 18, Hayward made the senior national team in the whitewater slalom event, going on to win gold medals in all six events he competed in during the 2012 Nationals. To date, he's spent nine years on the national team, kayaked in 32 countries around the world and, by his estimate, paddled well over 3 million strokes.
Hayward will spend the next few weeks traveling around Europe in his self-dubbed "hobbit van" — a homemade trailer that he lives in while training and touring.
- READ MORE: Edmonton's Ben Hayward prepares for Pan Am
- ON THE ROAD: Ben Hayward's winding road (and river) to Pan Am
- Q&A: Ben Hayward's reasoning behind his hobbit van - 'why not?'
- ATHLETE'S VOICE: Financial risk worth every penny
- WRAP: Edmonton's Ben Hayward lost Pan Am gold by a centimetre
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Follow #OurAthletes on Twitter for updates, photos and video as the Canadian team prepares for Pan Am