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Two-time gold medallist Rosie MacLennan hopes to inspire future Olympians

TORONTO — Standing above a canvas spread out on the floor over top some black garbage bags spread out to protect the hardwood floor of the studio room, Rosie MacLennan encouraged a young girl to drop a volleyball covered in red paint onto the white surface.

“Bounce it a few times,” MacLennan suggested.

Just a little more than 24 hours after returning from the 2016 Rio Olympic Games where she successfully defended her gold in the women’s trampoline event, MacLennan — covered in red paint — was at the east end’s Toronto Kiwanis Boys and Girls Club helping kids — also covered in red paint — create unique collages by slathering paint on sports equipment like baseballs, basketballs and tennis racquets and imprinting them onto the canvas. Along with the painting, she also chatted with the kids, gave out plenty of high fives and showed off both her Olympic gold medals, of course.

It was a messy, chaotic, fun scene and a far cry from the high-pressure, serious environment of an Olympic Games gymnasium. But before you get any ideas, no, the two-time Olympic gold medallist hasn’t hung up her leotard for a life in the creative arts.

Instead, this was an initiative led by the Canadian Tire Jumpstart program, a charity that helps children participate in sports and one that MacLennan has worked closely with following her win at the London Olympics four years ago. In fact, it was during a difficult time over the last year that MacLennan made a lasting commitment to this very charity.

Rosie MacLennan with kids from the Jumpstar program.
Rosie MacLennan with kids from the Jumpstar program.

Following a concussion a little more than a year ago, MacLennan faced a tough recovery and uncertainty over the last 12 months ahead of the Rio Games. It was during this period, her sports psychologist encouraged her to focus on the Olympic values and the deeper meaning of sport to find motivation, she first told CBC’s Scott Russell during an interview following the Rio opening ceremonies, where she carried Canada’s flag.

She made a promise to herself then that if she reached the Olympic stage once again, she would donate the money she had set aside after winning gold in London in 2012 to the Jumpstart organization.

Of course, it’s well documented now that MacLennan not only made it back to the Olympics, but also won gold again and, as such, very much intends to keep up her end of the bargain.

“For me, the Olympics is what inspired my dream and if any kid is inspired or motivated or moved by what happened at the Olympic Games, I want them to have a chance to find a sport that they love,” she said. “Whether it’s for an active lifestyle or to aspire to higher-performance sport, it doesn’t even matter, just get them involved and give them the chance to pursue a sport.”

In Brazil, the 27-year-old MacLennan was among the 22 Canadians to bring home a medal from the recent  Games. For two weeks, Canadian athletes stood on all steps of the podium, and by the end, it officially became one of the nation’s most successful Olympic efforts at a non-boycotted Games, equaling the best-ever 22 medals won in Atlanta in 1996.

Much has also been made of the success of Canada’s young athletes. From 16-year-old swimming sensation Penny Oleksiak to the 21-year-old sprinting superstar Andre De Grasse, many of Canada’s top performers were Olympic rookies. MacLennan, only 27 but an Olympic veteran, said it’s those performances and visits like hers that could end up inspiring future Olympians.

It gives them the chance to see that we’re real people and if we can do it, they can do it. There’s nothing super special about us, we tried a sport, fell in love with sport, worked really hard and got to a high level and I think having kids see that and also having exposure through the Olympics to sports that they wouldn’t necessarily see everyday shows them what opportunities are out there,” she said.

If any children did tune in to watch MacLennan's trampoline competition in Rio, they could have been inspired by a Canadian winning back-to-back medals at a Summer Games for the first time. On the consecutive golds, MacLennan said the “pure joy and elation and pride” of winning felt the same, but four years ago in London, it took a few days to settle in, whereas in Rio, it hit her quick.

“It was actually a judo match a few days later when someone else won gold and I was like ‘that’s really cool’ and then realized and I just started bawling,” she said about her reaction in 2012. “This time, all those emotions came to me a lot faster because I had had that experience before and because of the journey that I had in the past four years.”

MacLennan wasn’t ready to commit to trying to three-peat in Tokyo 2020 just yet, saying only “I know that I’m not done jumping yet.” But MacLennan’s mind will still be focussed on Olympics for weeks to come.

Rosie MacLennan gives medals to kids at a Jumpstart program.
Rosie MacLennan gives medals to kids at a Jumpstart program.

That’s because soon she’s heading to Greece to study at the International Olympic Academy for a month as she completes her master’s degree in exercise science from the University of Toronto. Her thesis looks at athlete engagement in social initiatives, she explained, “like how and why athletes and organizations work together for social causes.”

Ahead of Greece, however, MacLennan has a birthday to celebrate next week.

“I’m just trying to see some friends and then on my actual birthday, I’ll probably have brunch with my family," she said. "I’m just trying to see as many people as I can before I head off again.”

Before MacLennan headed off from the Boys and Girls Club, she handed out special medals — gold, naturally — to each of the children who took part in the painting exercise, making sure to high five or fist pump each after draping the piece of hardware around his or her neck.

It’s a small gesture, sure, but one that could inspire one of these kids to become the next great trampolinist or sprinter or swimmer. It’s also a moment that MacLennan takes inspiration from herself.

“It brings you back to when you were beginning on your journey and that joy of sport, that love of sport and exploration and the curiosity that you have as a new athlete. It’s just a lot of fun to see that and to me, it’s really energizing and really motivating too.”