Carleton’s 2010 female athlete of the year Kelleigh Ryan is one step closer to participating in the 2012 Olympics in London, England.
Ryan competed at the Pan American Zonal Fencing Championships in Reno, Nev. July 4-9, in the final Olympic qualification tournament of the year.
The individual matches were held on July 5 and 6, but it’s the team event, held during the final three days of the competition, which was most important to Olympic hopefuls like Ryan. The decision on Team Canada’s qualifying athletes will be made according to the world rankings throughout next season, according to Your Ottawa Region, an online newspaper.
With only one team berth in the Pan Am zone available per discipline, the Canadians currently sit 12th globally. At this competition, Ryan came in sixth with 21 points according to the Canadian Fencing Federation.
Ryan, 24, started her fencing career when she was 10 years-old at a camp held at the University of Ottawa. This is where she learned that successful fencing requires the “right mental approach and the ability to maintain composure,” according to a quote from Your Ottawa Region.
Ryan also shared her thoughts about the Olympics.
“Although the Olympics would be amazing, it’s just too stressful to wrap my head around. It’s best to look back on the experience of trying out for the Olympics and try to enjoy it rather than finding it to be a stressful situation, because that’s not why we’re competing. There’s no point in doing your sport if it makes you unhappy,” she told Your Ottawa Region.
Gillian Turnbull, a fellow Carleton fencer, has nothing but praise for Ryan.
“Not only do I think [Ryan] will make it into the Olympics, I think she will do really well,” Turnbull said in an email. “She has been training and competing in order to go [to the Olympics] for years now and she is a really amazing fencer, so I know she will be fantastic.”
Turnbull said the entire Carleton team is supporting their teammate through her march to the Olympics.
“[Ryan] is extremely hard-working and determined. She is really dedicated to the sport and it shows by how successful she is,” Turnbull continued. “I have no doubt that [she] will be great in the Olympics. We will be cheering her on the whole way and we are so proud of her. She deserves it all.”
