As the Tokyo Summer Olympics get underway Western is cheering on its Mustangs alumni who will be participating as athletes, coaches and officials at this year’s Games.
This year, Team Canada is sending a total of 371 athletes to Tokyo, the largest delegation in over 35 years. The Tokyo Olympics will be held July 23 – Aug. 8.
Mustang athletes participating at this year’s Olympics include:
- Jill Moffatt, BHSc’16, MHSc’19 – women’s rowing, lightweight double boat
- Jen Martins, BSc’11, DDS’14 – women’s rowing, coxless 4
- Conor Trainor, BESc’13 – men’s rugby 7’s team
- Julie-Anne Staehli (teacher candidate), current cross country assistant coach – track and field, women’s 5000m
- Samantha Roberts (4th year student) – swimming, representing Antigua and Barbuda
Phil Marshall, BA’97, and Michelle Darvill, both former Western student-athletes, are serving as coaches for Team Canada’s rowing teams.
Decathlon athlete Damian Warner, who trains in London, Ont., is coached by Western Mustangs Vickie Crowley, BEd’87, track & field head coach, and Dave Collins, BA’97, assistant coach, track & field and pole vault.
A few Western alumni are officiating at the Tokyo Games, including:
- Marnie McBean, BA’97, LLD’03 – chef de mission
- Bill Donegan BA’79, MA’80 – Olympic jury
- Iain Brambell, BEd’98 – director of high performance for Rowing Canada Aviron
- Max Hirst, BA’14 – performance analyst, senior women’s basketball national team
Other Western alumni figuring prominently in the Tokyo Olympics include: David Shoemaker, LLB’96, CEO and secretary general of the Canadian Olympic Committee, and CBC hosts Heather Hiscox, MA’87, and Scott Russell, BEd’81, who will be covering the Games. CBC’s The National host Adrienne Arsenault, BA’90, MA’91, LLD’13, will host the opening ceremony alongside Russell, and will be reporting live throughout the Games.
***
For more on the Games, visit Western at the Tokyo Olympics.
