Southwestern Ontario Olympian recalls her first time competing last summer
The runner from Lucknow, Ont. competed at the Tokyo games last year
Julie-Anne Staehli knows what being a first-time competitor at the Olympic games, having raced in the Tokyo Summer Olympics last year.
The Lucknow, Ont. athlete competed in the women's 5,000 metre race and came back with some insight for those who are attending the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games for the first time.
"Every moment comes and goes, and you want to just make sure that you're present in each and every moment of your Olympic experience," she told CBC's Chris dela Torre, with the caveat that she wasn't sure how qualified she was to offer advice, since she's only attended one time.
"I was really excited, an Olympic debut," she said. "I think for a lot of athletes, when it's your first experience, you just try to take it all in, while still focusing on the performance."
While competing in the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics, she came in 17th place in her heat. She didn't qualify for the finals that year but has her sights set on the 2024 games in Paris.
"It's definitely a high and I think more emotional than physical in terms of just everything that's going on and what it takes to get to that point."
She's since moved south to Boston to train but has fond memories of practicing in her hometown in Bruce County.
"Ever since high school, I was always going on the back roads and just training out there," she said. "It's so familiar to me and I think I never take that for granted just, you know, having a community and all that support behind you."
The Beijing winter games began in China on Friday and go until Feb. 20, with international athletes competing in 15 sports.