With excitement building for athletes heading down to the Olympic Games in Rio, there will be seven extraordinary athletes from Oakville looking to make Olympic history. Yes from our small town, we’ve got seven! So, not only can you cheer on Team Canada, you also can cheer on Team Oakville.
Four athletes are Olympic veterans: Adam van Koeverden's first Olympics was in Athens, Mark Oldershaw first competed in Beijing, Diana Matheson also started off in Beijing, and Kyle Jones competed in London. For three of our athletes, it will be their first Olympic Games: Cristy Nurse, Mack Darragh and Lee Parkhill.
Here is a brief bio on each of Oakville’s Olympic athletes for Rio 2016:
Adam van Koeverden is Oakville’s most celebrated Olympians heading down to Rio having been the first Canadian Paddler to win medals in the previous 4 Olympic Games. Adam is 34 years old and will be competing in Kayak and Canoe. He can regularly be seen working out on the 16 Mile Creek. You can follow him via twitter @vankayak.
Mark Oldershaw will be returning to the Olympics in canoeing, as well as continuing the family Olympic legacy which started with his grandfather in 1948. He is the fifth member of the family to compete at the Olympic level. Like Adam you can see Mark paddling on the 16 Mile Creek. You can follow him via twitter @MarkOldershaw.
Diana Matheson first competed in Beijing, but will always be remembered for scoring the winning goal in London 2012, which gave Canada the Bronze. Diana is 32 years old and will be competing for Canada in soccer. She played for the Oakville Soccer Club, who will undoubtedly be cheering her on. You can follow her via twitter @dmatheson8.
Kyle Jones has been part of the Canadian triathlon team since winning the junior title in 2003. His father, who regularly competed in triathlons, inspired him. Kyle first competed when he was just 10 years old. Kyle is 31 years old. You can follow him via twitter: @JonesKyle.
Cristy Nurse will be competing in rowing in Rio. She has been a member of Team Canada’s rowing team for 5 world championships in the women’s eight. She has been on the medal podium each time, and only missed the London Olympics due to a herniated disc. Cristy is 29 years old. At this time she does not have a twitter handle.
Lee Parkhill first competed for Canada at the Toronto Pan Am Games, where he was awarded the bronze medal in Sailing. As a born Oakvillian, he started sailing lessons at age 8. It was a natural since his whole family was involved in sailing. Lee is 27 years old. You can follow Lee on twitter @LeeParkhill.
Mack Darragh will compete in his first Olympics in swimming. He is the youngest of the pack of athletes from Oakville at 23, but started competitively swimming at age 7. He won a 2011 FINA World Junior Championship bronze medal when he first represented Canada internationally. You can follow him via twitter @mackdarragh
So whether you are an Olympic junkie or simply want to support our home team athletes, the RIO Games that start on August 5, 2016 and end on August 21, 2016, will have lots for you to get excited about.