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New Brunswick sending record number of athletes to Olympics, Paralympics | CBC News

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New Brunswick sending record number of athletes to Olympics, Paralympics | CBC News

New Brunswickers can follow a record number of athletes from the province this summer at the Olympic and Paralympic games.

Team Canada will have at least seven representatives from New Brunswick at the two games in Paris.

Chantal Rochon, the performance pathway co-ordinator with the Canadian Sport Institute Atlantic, said the number has been growing over previous games, and it’s an exciting time for sport in the province.

“What makes it truly remarkable — without just looking at the numbers — it’s the diversity of sports and disciplines that they’re representing,” said Rochon. 

“I think that just speaks to the incredible talent and dedication here in New Brunswick.”

It will be a time of many emotions for the athletes heading over to the Summer Games, according to Rochon.

Chantal Rochon, the performance pathway co-ordinator with the Canadian Sport Institute Atlantic, said New Brunswick athletes are competing in a ‘remarkable’ diversity of sports and disciplines. (Jordan Gill/CBC)

They will still have training and competing on their minds but will also be in a new city, where many of them have never visited.

Rochon said New Brunswickers should expect some medals from the athletes, but of course there will also be athletes who walk away empty-handed.

“They’re competitive, right? So they do want to win,” she said. “[In] the same vein, they’re used to disappointment along the way.”

So far, the province has seven athletes heading to the games, with more announcements still possible. Rochon is hoping for an even bigger contingent next time.

“I think this is just the start … there’s a lot of really great initiatives and things that are happening here in New Brunswick,” she said.

“The government is investing more money. We’re hosting the 2029 Canada Games. So there’s a lot of excitement and hype around sport in New Brunswick that I think has been growing in momentum.”

Here’s a preview of the New Brunswick athletes at the 2024 Paris Olympic and Paralympic games.

Danielle Dorris

A Para swimmer comes up for a breath while speeding through the water during a butterfly race.
Danielle Dorris competing at the 2022 World Para Swimming Championships. (Octavio Passos/Getty Images)

Moncton’s Danielle Dorris is making her third trip to the Paralympics for swimming.

“I’m coming in as a three-time vet, and I’m coming in with more confidence,” said Dorris.

She previously competed at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games where she won gold and silver medals. She also set a world record in the women’s 50-metre butterfly event.

Dorris also competed at the Rio 2016 Paralympics at the age of 13, making her Canada’s youngest para-swimmer.

Brooklyn Douthwright

Two women smiling at the camera
Brooklyn Douthwright and her mom, Shannon. Douthwright will compete in the Olympics for the first time in her career this summer in Paris. (Khalil Akhtar/CBC)

Riverview’s Brooklyn Douthwright is making her Olympic debut in Paris this year, something that still hasn’t really sunk in.

“I don’t know if it’s 100 per cent settled in, but being able to think that and say that out loud is definitely the best feeling,” said Douthwright.

The swimmer previously won five medals at last year’s Pan Am Games in Santiago, Chile.

While this is her first Olympics, Douthwright has been a staple in the province’s swimming scene for years.

She was New Brunswick’s flag bearer at the 2017 Canada Summer Games.

Kamylle Frenette

Canadian Para triathlete Kamylle Frenette reacts to crossing the finish line.
Kamylle Frenette of Dieppe will be participating in her second Paralympics this year. (CBC Sports )

Kamylle Frenette of Dieppe will be participating in her second Paralympics this year, after just missing out on a medal in Paratriathlon in Tokyo.

Since then, she has won medals at Paratriathlon events in Montreal and Paris. 

In fact, she’s won 21 medals in 29 starts.

Colin Higgins

A Canadian men's wheelchair basketball player fends off an opponent while holding the ball in his left hand during play at a Paralympics qualifying tournament on April 13, 2024 in Antibes, France.
Colin Higgins playing at the Paris Paralympics qualifying tournament in Antibes, France. (X/@WCBballCanada)

Hitting the court for his second Paralympics is Rothesay’s Colin Higgins.

Higgins will join up with Canada’s wheelchair basketball team as they hope to better their eighth-place finish from Tokyo.

He was part of Canada’s squad which captured bronze last year at the Santiago Parapan American Games.

Jill Irving

A woman in an equestrian outfit riding a horse
Jill Irving of Moncton is seen riding her old horse Degas 12 during the 2019 Pan American Games in Lima, Peru. (Raul Sifuentes/Getty Images for FEI)

At 61 years old, Moncton’s Jill Irving will be Canada’s oldest Olympian this year when she takes the reins in Paris.

While she has been riding since she was a child, this will mark the dressage athlete’s first Olympic Games.

“As a child, I remember watching the Olympic Games, you know, and I’m not a younger athlete — I’ve been doing this a long time,” said Irving.

“Dreams can come true and you just have to stick with it, work hard and keep going no matter what.”

She also participated at the 2019 Pan American Games in Lima, Peru.

Desiree Isaac-Pictou

A woman with long dark hair wearing a white sports shirt sits in a wheelchair smiling.
Desiree Isaac-Pictou of Ugpi’ganjig (Eel River Bar First Nation) started playing wheelchair basketball in 2022. (Prapti Bamaniya/CBC)

Ugpi’ganjig’s Desiree Isaac-Pictou will be making her Paralympic debut when she aims to shoot some hoops with Team Canada’s wheelchair basketball squad.

She was a member of Canada’s silver-medal team at the Santiago Pan American Games in 2023.

She’s also participated at the U25 world wheelchair basketball championships.

Craig Thorne

A man running in front of a series of hurdles
Craig Thorne is seen here competing in the 110-metre hurdle finals at the Canadian track and field Olympic trials in Montreal on June 29. (Christinne Muschi/The Canadian Press)

Quispamsis’ Craig Thorne will be making his Olympic debut in Paris in track and field.

Making the cut came as a bit of a surprise to Thorne, who was aiming for the 2028 games.

He didn’t make the original cut, but after injuries and voluntary retirements were taken into account, he was in.

“It was a very stressful, like, anxious time, you know, just checking my emails, checking my phone for messages. But once I got it, it was just a sigh of relief,” said Thorne.

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