Silver medalist and Canada's only technical swim Olympic official return home to northwestern Ontario
Northwestern Ontario shows pride for homegrown Olympic athlete and official
Two women from Northwestern Ontario have returned home from the Paris Games and are sharing their experiences with their community of supporters in the region.
Abby Dent, from Kenora, Ont., competed as part of the Canadian women's eight rowing team, while Thunder Bay's Daryle Martin served as Canada's only technical swim official at the games.
"It was pretty exciting … It was really nice to see everybody all come together and just get to say 'hi' and show appreciation for everything," Dent said, talking about a Kenora event held in her honour on Tuesday.
Dent returned to her hometown with a silver medal around her neck after Canada found itself a tight battle with Great Britain for second place in the women's eight final race. As the race came to a close and with just 500 metres to go, the team was able to hold off their rivals to claim silver.
The Romanian team put on a dominant performance, leading for three-quarters of the race and finishing four seconds in front.
"I didn't totally understand where we were until the last 700 metres of the race when our coxswain told us that we were in the running for a medal. It just depended on which colour medal that we wanted," said Dent.
Dent described the moments the race finished as if time was standing still, waiting to see what the results on the leader board were going to say.
"We saw that we came in silver and it was a pretty awesome moment just to feel the whole boat excited and happy and crying …everything all in one," she said.
Now, the 22-year-old rower said she always has her medal on, not just as a point of pride, but also because she wants to share the accomplishment with the people around her.
"Getting to show everybody is kind of the best part. Yeah, getting to win it is great, but just getting to share it with the community and everyone who's been a part of the journey has also been really awesome," she said.
Dent had the chance to show off her medal at this week's hometown celebration, where the Kenora Rowing Club also unveiled a rowing single boat named after Dent, along with the road that leads to the club.
"This outstanding achievement has filled our community with immense pride and serves as an inspiration to all aspiring athletes. We are grateful for her dedication and the honour she's brought to our city," said Kenora Mayor Andrew Poirier leading up to Tuesday's celebration.
Dent was not the only northwestern Ontario representative in Paris. Thunder Bay's Daryle Martin was also at the Olympic Games, but not as a competitor.
Martin is a Level Five Master Official with Swimming Canada. She was chosen to officiate in Paris, making her the only technical swim official at the 2024 Summer Games.
"It really hit home on the Saturday morning, just as the group of us were marched and paraded out onto the deck as the technical officials. All of us kind of looked at each other and we're from around the world and said, 'Oh my goodness, we're at the Olympics. This is huge,'" said Martin, while recalling her Paris experience.
Martin has spent a lot of her life at the pool, lending her expertise as a swim official for the last two decades. She has officiated at swim meets locally and regionally, as well as across Canada and internationally.
Martin said the comradery between officials from different corners of the globe was a highlight for her, along with feeling the energy from spectators and swimmers.
"Anytime there's any of the athletes in the water and you could see what they were doing and how they were performing was pretty amazing. Certainly when the Canadians were in the water, it was pretty phenomenal to be able to have that front row seat to watch them," she said.
"One of the evenings that Summer McIntosh won her gold, and as she walked by with that Canadian flag, you know, around her shoulders. That was pretty special trying to hold it together and have that whole neutrality when the Canadian anthem was being played in the arena," Martin said, reflecting on the experience.
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