Richmond resident Camryn Rogers says her gold medal win at the Paris Olympics still hasn’t quite sunk in.
In a conversation with CityNews Tuesday, the 25-year-old hammer throwing champion says her experience has been a “whirlwind.”
Rogers threw her way to gold on August 6, becoming the Olympic and World champion in the women’s event, and the first Canadian woman to win the title.
She says she tried not to let herself think about the gold until the event had ended, including when her fifth throw brought her score to the lead position.
“I got into that last throw and I was trying so hard to keep it together, but I just got so excited and kind of like started to get really impatient in the throw. So the last throw wasn’t great, but I feel like I can’t really hold against myself because I was just so excited and because it’s hard,” said Rogers.
“That was the moment where I knew, ‘Oh my God, this is it. I did it. We did it. It’s over.”
She says after her last throw, the emotions came crashing in “like a tsunami” and she ran to hug her coach.
Rogers realized she too wanted to be an Olympian when she watched the London Olympics in 2012.
She credits her success to the “village of people” who supported her along the way.
“I’ve had messages from people from Richmond just saying we were watching you on TV, we were cheering you on, that to me is the best part of all of this, knowing that I connected with so many people,” said Rogers.
Before she moved to California to attend university, Rogers spent a majority of her training in the Lower Mainland.
Former Coach Garret Collier says it’s been surreal to watch her success.
“It was absolutely amazing,” said Collier. “And just so happy for her.”
It was Collier’s father, Richard, who reportedly spotted Rogers’ talent during a track meet while she was at McMath Secondary School, and invited her to train at The Kajaks Track & Field Club in Richmond. He says it was no surprise that she claimed the gold in Paris.
“To see Camryn, all the hard work she’s put in, all the people that had her back, it couldn’t have happened to a better person. She’s the same person now as when I first met her, even after the gold medal,” he said.
While her golden moment is still sinking in, Rogers says she’s grateful that Canadian athletes are making a wave in the Olympic sphere.
“Things like this don’t just happen overnight, it starts at the very foundation and takes decades to build, many years of sacrifice of many others who came before us,” said Rogers.
“That to me is the best part about all this: knowing that I’ve been able to connect to so many people and spread sort of the the amazingness of hammer throw.”
Camryn says she plans to compete in the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, and in the World Athletics Championships next year, but for now, she’s enjoying a trip around Europe with her family before coming home.