OTTAWA – Throngs of school children greeted Rosie MacLennan with high fives and chants of “Ca-na-da!” as she swiftly made her way to the Parliament Hill lawn Thursday with a beaming Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
Those chants quickly turned to “Rosie, Rosie” after Trudeau announced that the star gymnast, who captured Canada’s lone gold medal in London four years ago, will carry the Maple Leaf into the opening ceremony at next month’s Rio Olympics.
For the 27-year-old trampoline athlete from King City, Ont., being named Canada’s flag bearer was “a dream come true.”
“As I grew up, I was captivated by the values that the Olympic movement stands for – that pursuit of excellence, respect and the celebration of humanity,” she said to loud applause.
“Standing here, going into my third Games, I’m filled with so much pride and so much gratitude that words can’t even begin to describe it,” she added.
For Trudeau, who is not scheduled to attend the opening ceremonies, the announcement was a chance for him to share in the spotlight and applaud Canada’s achievments on the world sporting stage in advance of the Games.
“All of our extraordinary athletes embody the motto of the Olympics – swifter, higher stronger,” said Trudeau. “Our flag-bearer certainly does, but I guess we’d put a particular emphasis on the higher for this particular athlete.”
Triathlete Simon Whitfield carried the flag into the stadium four years ago in London.
It’s been a challenging lead-up for the 27-year-old MacLennan.
Her training was derailed last fall due to a concussion.
She went on to book her ticket to Rio with a fourth-place finish at November’s world championship.
MacLennan says she’s healthy again and is ready to defend her title in Brazil.
“I’m feeling back on track,” she said after leaping from a stage to greet fans. “I was playing a bit of a game of catch-up over the past few month, but my coaches and I have been working hard and I’m really excited about where I am right now.”
The Canadian packs a lot of power in her taut five-foot-two frame and uses it to get those precious extra split-seconds in the air. Her twists, flips and somersaults appear effortless and have a smooth fluidity.
She made her first world championship appearance in 2005 and won bronze two years later. She earned Pan Am silver at the 2007 Games in Rio and finished seventh in her Olympic debut at the 2008 Beijing Games.
MacLennan showed her London win was no fluke by taking her first world title in 2013 and adding silver the following year. Last summer, she captured gold in front of a hometown crowd at the Toronto Pan Am Games.
The Rio Olympics open Aug. 5. Canada will be sending a team of more than 300 athletes with the goal of surpassing the 18 medals it won four years ago.