Lord Tweedsmuir Secondary grad wins bronze in Olympic rowing

Lord Tweedsmuir Secondary can now boast that one of its alumni is an Olympic medallist after Hillary Janssens, Class of 2012, and teammate Caileigh Filmer took bronze in the women's pair rowing event at the Tokyo Olympics.

Janssens and Filmer put Canada on the podium, rowing a time of 6:52.10 in the 2,000 metre race. The team held first place for the first half of the final but was overtaken in the last half by teams from New Zealand and the Russian Olympic Committee.

While Janssens didn't start rowing until she attended UBC, her time playing basketball and volleyball at Lord Tweedsmuir Secondary built the foundation for her athletic career. She said her lean build and 6'2" height lent itself to rowing, and the skills she developed on the court translated to the water.

"Playing other sports growing up helped with the technical aspects of rowing, to have an awareness of your body and coordinating your oars," she said. "I loved being an athlete and I loved being on teams, and I'm also able to train a lot, which makes sense from basketball because there's so much running and cardio.

"I also learned that working with others and rowing is the consummate team sport because you're physically with others in a boat and the boat won't go fast if anyone is slowing it down. Just being in team sports helped me appreciate that everyone has something to offer."

Janssens and Filmer started the Olympics strong, placing first in Heat 1 with a time of 7:18.34 and taking third in the semifinals with a time of 6:49.46.

Their third place finish marks the first time Canada has reached the podium in the event since the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, when Kathleen Heddle and Marnie McBean took home gold.

Janssens said medalling at the Olympics was very special to her, knowing her family was watching at home at their dairy farm and rooting for her from her hometown. She said she was honoured to represent Canada, and Cloverdale, on the world's stage.

"Even though my family wasn't there, just knowing it was an opportunity for them to have a viewing party at home in Cloverdale and the messages I received from people from high school and elementary school, it just brings me such a sense of pride and joy to have gone out and done something at the Olympics that makes Canadians proud and gave them something to cheer for," she said.

Congratulations, Hillary, on your Olympic win!