MONTREAL — When it comes to pressure, Camryn Rogers says bring it on.
The women’s hammer throw world champion is embracing the expectations as a favourite to win Olympic gold at the Paris Olympics this summer.
“It's a testament to the work and the time and the sacrifices that my coach, my whole support system and I have made to really make this dream come true,” Rogers said Thursday. “Building up to a big moment in Paris, I mean it's everything that we've been planning for.”
The 25-year-old from Richmond, B.C., booked her ticket to Paris with an impressive win at the Canadian Olympic trials Wednesday night.
Her world looks a lot different than it did the last Olympic cycle. At the Tokyo Games in 2021, she placed fifth as a 22-year-old college student at the University of California, Berkeley,
Today she’s a full-time professional at the top of her game.
Rogers won world championship silver in 2022 and gold last year to become the first Canadian female hammer thrower to medal on that stage. Her personal-best mark of 78.62 metres set in May 2023 makes her the fifth-furthest throwing woman of all time.
The opportunity to demonstrate what she's capable of in Olympic competition will only motivate Rogers to throw farther, says coach Mohamad Saatara.
"She really thrives in that environment,” said Saatara, the throws coach at Berkeley. “Having the pressure and that type of stuff involved with a high-level competition, she really enjoys that.
“(The Tokyo games) gave her that picture of, 'hey, you know what, I can I can do this, I can be with the top people in the world.' Three years later now, she's in quite a different spot.”
With the initial goal of qualifying for Paris squared away, Rogers and Saatara are focused on preparing for the Games, which begin July 26.
That includes some technical work like finding ways to maximize Rogers’ throwing power, but Saatara says a large part of their focus is on mental preparation.
Saatara and Rogers have studied footage of former champions like hammer thrower Yuriy Sedykh, discus thrower Alfred Oerter and shot putter Ryan Crouser, among many others, to see how they managed the pressure.
"What were they doing at the time? How did they deal with different things? There's only a few people that have actually done this, being at this level,” Saatara said. “The best way to do it is to see what they did."
Rogers is even seeking inspiration beyond athletics, having recently watched “The Last Dance” — the Netflix docuseries chronicling Michael Jordan’s 1990s dynasty with the Chicago Bulls.
She says it’s motivating to watch athletes overcome obstacles to reach their goals.
“Sometimes things just happen, but you push through them and you know that everything that you've done is for a purpose,” she said. “You walk into every single training session with discipline, determination and focus. And so when it all comes together to make those big moments happen, you know it's something that you've worked toward.”
Rogers channelled that energy when she cleared the field with a 75.05-metre throw Wednesday despite feeling under the weather.
Fellow 2023 world champion Ethan Katzberg won the men's hammer throw, reaching 82.60 metres.
The rise of Rogers, Katzberg and shot putter Sarah Mitton — a 2023 world silver medallist — has helped Canada gain a reputation as a throwing nation ahead of the Paris Games.
The increased attention to hammer throwing, which is normally overshadowed by other track-and-field events like the 100-metre dash, is a welcome change for Saatara.
"We're based in the United States, but we travel a lot to Canada, and people are interested in hammer throw,” he said. “It's pretty unique because hammer throw is probably as niche of a sport as you can get, even within track and field itself.”
“It's getting a chance to shine," he added. "If they can compete at the level they can at the Olympic Games I really think it's going to shine a brighter light on these Games, and hopefully we get more young people involved and interested in the sport."
Rogers intends to do her part by bringing her A-game to Paris.
"Any time that we step into the circle, we have a responsibility to showcase the best of ourselves,” she said. “We have some of the best athletes of all time competing in our events at this very moment. That is something pretty beautiful and magical to witness, and something that people definitely don't want to miss.
“To showcase that, to have people be paying attention and know what's going on and be excited for us, what more could you ask for going to the Olympic Games?"
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 27, 2024.
Daniel Rainbird, The Canadian Press