With all eyes on Rio over the next couple of weeks, there are a few names Tri-City residents may want to keep an eye out for while watching the 2016 Olympics.
Coquitlam wrestler Haislan Garcia will be making his third appearance in the Games, returning as a competitor in the 65-kg weight class. The 33-year-old secured his spot on Canada’s Olympic team with a semifinal win over George Burcur of Romania last May and said at the time that he was looking forward to competing in Rio.
Haislan will be looking to improve on his seventh-place showing in London in 2012.
Jasmin Glaesser is another returning Olympian.
The Coquitlam cyclist took bronze in the indoor cycling event in London and recently won the gold in the women’s pursuit, silver in the women’s omnium and silver in road time travel at last year’s Pan Am Games.
Also on the cycling team is Coquitlam athlete Tory Nyhaug, who will be competing in the BMX competition. Nyhaug missed the semifinals in London four years but has since piled up medals in various events, including a strong showing at the Pan Am Games where he battled through a foot injury to win gold.
Gymnast Brittany Rogers is making her second trip to the Olympics this week, after locking up a spot on the national team at the end of June.
The 23-year-old athlete has been competing with the Georgia Bulldogs of the NCAA for the last four years and punched her ticket to Rio thanks to strong performances at the Canadian Championships and Elite Canada events this summer.
Rogers will bring some experience to the squad after having finished fifth in the women’s artistic team event in the London Olympics in 2012. She will be joined by Shallon Olsen, a Centennial secondary student, who is making her first trip to the Olympics.
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