RBC, in partnership with the Canadian Olympic Foundation (COF), Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) and CBC Sports, today introduced 30 young Canadian athletes identified at RBC Training Ground events in 2017.
These athletes, all between the ages of 14 and 25, represent eight provinces and have very diverse sport backgrounds.
RBC Training Ground is an innovative program designed to test and link athletes – no matter what the sport background – with a sport that could excel them onto the Olympic podium.
In 2017, 2,100 athletes attended free RBC Training Ground events across the country. At these event they were tested for speed, strength, endurance and power in front of Canadian Olympic committee officials and representatives from national sport federations. More than 300 athletes hit or exceed Olympic benchmarks and were then invited for additional testing by a participating national sport governing body. The following thirty athletes excelled in the testing and will now receive ongoing ‘Future Olympian’ funding and support from RBC in order to pursue their Olympic dreams:
| Athlete | NSO | Hometown |
|---|---|---|
| Jerome Blake | Athletics | Kelowna, BC |
| Alex Throndson | Athletics | Toronto, ON |
| Trinity Tutti | Athletics | Welland, ON |
| Adrian Kinney | Athletics | Bristol, NB |
| Benjamin Williams | Athletics | Edmonton, AB |
| Ryan Sommer | Bobsleigh | Calgary, AB |
| Keefer Joyce | Bobsleigh | Kelowna, BC |
| Anna Negulic | Canoe Kayak | Bedford, NS |
| Zane Clarke | Canoe Kayak | Halifax, NS |
| Lauriane Genest | Cycling | Levis, QC |
| Kelsey Mitchell | Cycling | Sherwood Park, AB |
| Courtenay Farrington | Cycling | Calgary, AB |
| Je’Land Sydney | Cycling | Georgetown, ON |
| Sarah Orban | Cycling | Calgary, AB |
| Marion Thenault | Freestyle Skiing | Sherbrooke, QC |
| Felix Cormier-Boucher | Freestyle Skiing | Saint-Mathias sur Richelieu, QC |
| Marc-Antoine Gagnon | Freestyle Skiing | Mirabel, QC |
| Anna Burnotte | Rowing | Sherbrooke, QC |
| Charles Alexander | Rowing | Sudbury, ON |
| Shannon MacAulay | Rowing | Charlottetown, PEI |
| Alec Stapf | Rowing | Victoria, BC |
| Avalon Wasteneys | Rowing | Vancouver, BC |
| Terek Been | Rowing | Toronto, ON |
| Adam Krol | Rowing | Peterborough, ON |
| Carmen Izyk | Rugby | High River, AB |
| Sierra Gillis | Rugby | Victoria, BC |
| Aliesha Lewis | Rugby | Guelph, ON |
| Genevieve Kasa-Vubu | Rugby | Guelph, ON |
| Jordan Jacobs | Rugby | Langley, BC |
| Bethney Cudmore | Rugby | Barrie, ON |
