Manitoban Olympians get ready for Rio Games

Manitobans looking to cheer on athletes from the Keystone province have a lot to celebrate.

Meet the 11 Olympic athletes with ties to the Prairie province

CBC News · Posted: Jul 28, 2016 1:00 PM EDT | Last Updated: August 3, 2016

Chantal Van Landeghem is one of the 11 athletes from Manitoba or with strong ties to the province competing at the 2016 Olympics in Rio, Brazil. (THE CANADIAN PRESS)

Manitobans have a lot to celebrate during the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio, Brazil.

Seven Olympians lay claim to a hometown in Manitoba, along with another four with strong roots in this Prairie soil.

Meet Manitoba's 11 Olympians headed to Rio de Janeiro:

Erin Teschuk

Teschuk hails from Winnipeg and still calls the city her hometown. The 21-year-old track and field star competes in the women's 3,000-metre steeplechase.

She won the 2015 Canadian title in the 3,000 steeplechase and finished fourth during the Pan Am Games in Toronto last year. Teschuk won silver in the 2,000 steeplechase at the 2013 Canada Games.

Event schedule:

Sat., Aug 13: 3,000 heat
Mon., Aug 15: 3,000 final

Isabela Onyshko

Onyshko is an artistic gymnast from Minnedosa, Man., who now lives in Brandon. The 18-year-old has wanted to compete for Canada at the Olympics since she was eight.

Manitoba gymnast Isabela Onyshko secures spot on team Canada for Rio Olympics

Onyshko's senior debut came during the Commonwealth Games in 2014 and the following year, during the Pan Am Games in Toronto, she helped her Canadian team win silver and was sixth in the all-around.

Isabela Onyshko is an artistic gymnast. (Nathan Denette/Canadian Press)

She won silver at the World Cup in Stuttgart, Germany, this year.

Event schedule:

Sun., Aug. 7: all-around qualification
Tues., Aug. 9: all-around (team) final
Thurs., Aug. 11: all-around (individual) final
Sun., Aug. 14: apparatus finals (vault, uneven bars)
Mon., Aug. 15: apparatus final (beam)
Tues., Aug. 16: apparatus final (floor)

Justin Duff

Duff is a member of Canada's men's volleyball team. The lifelong Winnipegger has been playing volleyball since he was in Grade 10 at Maples Collegiate.

In 2010 he was named the University of Winnipeg's male athlete of the year. The 28-year-old helped the Canadian team capture seventh place — a record for Canada — in 2010 at the FIVB Volleyball World Championship.

He then helped Canada win gold at the NORCECA Volleyball Championship in 2015.

Manitoba Olympic volleyball player thrilled to play in Rio

Event schedule:

Sun., Aug. 7: qualification (versus U.S.A.)
Tues., Aug. 9: qualification (versus Brazil)
Thurs., Aug. 11: qualification (versus France)
Sat., Aug. 13: qualification (versus Mexico)
Mon., Aug. 15: qualification (versus Italy)

TJ Sanders

Sanders was born in Winnipeg but now lives in London, Ont. The 24-year-old is one of the youngest players on the national men's volleyball team.

He helped Canada win bronze at the Pan Am Games in Toronto and a gold medal at the NORCECA Continental Championship.

He plays professionally for Arkas Spor in Izmir, Turkey.

Event schedule:

Sun., Aug. 7: qualification (versus U.S.A.)
Tues., Aug. 9: qualification (versus Brazil)
Thurs., Aug. 11: qualification (versus France)
Sat., Aug. 13: qualification (versus Mexico)
Mon., Aug. 15: qualification (versus Italy)

Tyler Mislawchuk

Mislawchuk's sport is triathlon, which requires athletes to swim, bike and run for first place.

Mislawchuk, 21, is from Oak Bluff, Man.

Tyler Mislawchuk is a triathlete from Oak Bluff, Man. (Canadian Press)

He finished 10th in the 2015 Pan Am Games.

He does his training in Australia and Spain.

Event schedule:

Thurs., Aug. 18: men's triathlon

Sarah-Anne Brault

Brault competes in the women's triathlon. She is originally from Quebec City but she lived and trained in Manitoba between the ages of eight and 18.

2 Manitoba triathletes secure spots on Team Canada for Rio Olympics

The 26-year-old now lives in Levis, Quebec.

In 2014, she posted career-best finishes in the World Triathlon Series, finishing fourth in Auckland and seventh in Yokohama.

Event schedule:

Fri., Aug. 19: women's triathlon

Chantal Van Landeghem

Van Landeghem competes in the 50-metre freestyle and 100-metre freestyle swim races.

Landeghem, 22, is from Winnipeg but she now lives in Toronto.

Winnipeg Olympian Chantal Van Landeghem gets $50K boost to train for Games

She won three medals at the Pan Am Games, including gold in the 100-metre freestyle and gold as a member of Canada's team in the 4x100-metre freestyle relay. Van Landeghem earned Manitoba Athlete of the Year honours in 2011.

She now swims for the University of Georgia.

Chantal Van Landeghem will compete in three swimming events at the Olympics. (Canadian Press)

Event schedule:

Sat., Aug. 6: heat (4x100 relay)
Sat., Aug. 6: final (4x100 relay)
Wed., Aug. 10: heat (100 free)
Wed., Aug. 10: semi-final (100 free)
Thurs., Aug. 11: final (100 free)
Fri., Aug. 12: heat (50 free)
Fri, Aug 12: semi-final (50 free)
Sat., Aug. 13: final (50 free)

Sophie Schmidt

Schmidt, 28, was born in Winnipeg but grew up in Abbotsford, B.C. She plays midfield and helped her team win bronze during the London Olympics.

She is a Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football champion.

Event schedule:

Wed., Aug. 3: qualification (versus Australia)
Sat., Aug. 6: qualification (versus Zimbabwe)
Tues., Aug. 9: qualification (versus Germany)

Desiree Scott

Scott, 29, is a midfielder with Canada's women's soccer team. Rio is her second Olympic Games; along with Sophie Schmidt, she played in the London 2012 Games where she helped her team snag bronze.

She was born and raised in Winnipeg and still lives in Manitoba's largest city.

Desiree Scott kicks around thoughts of gold at Rio Olympics

Event schedule:

Wed., Aug. 3: qualification (versus Australia)
Sat., Aug. 6: qualification (versus Zimbabwe)
Tues., Aug. 9: qualification (versus Germany)

Leah Kirchmann

Kirchmann is a road cyclist from Winnipeg.

At the Pan Am Games in 2012 she won silver. She is the first Canadian to sweep all three national titles (road, time trial, criterium), and the same year, she finished third in the one-day 89-kilometre La course by Le Tour de France.