A Victoria athlete is fulfilling a lifelong dream after being selected to compete at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
After narrowly missing out on a roster spot for the Tokyo 2020 Games, Adam Keenan has been selected to represent Canada in the hammer throw at this year's games.
The 30-year-old athlete has described his selection as the “greatest news” he’s ever received.
“It's up there for sure,” said Keenan. “I can't think of anything else that tops it. Maybe passing one of my biochem exams in university. But the Olympics is pretty up there.”
Despite having competed on the world stage before at the Commonwealth Games and World Championships, Keenan has said that taking part in the Olympics has been his ultimate goal since the age of 14.
“I just finished my first provincial summer games and I was in the kitchen with my mom and I told her, this is what I want to do, I want to go to the Olympics,” explained Keenan. “Qualifying and being able to call myself an Olympian has been the goal, everything else on top of that is a gift. All I want to do is go out there and throw the way that I know how to throw and whatever comes with that comes with it. No matter what happens, this has already been a win.”
His road to Olympic selection has not been an easy one, with injury struggles and a long journey to train in Duncan after access to a training cage in Lambrick Park in Saanich was withdrawn two years ago.
“It has severely impacted my progression in my career,” said Keenan. “The school district has been incredibly frustrating to deal with on this. So to make the Olympics was not a guarantee, it was a struggle. So it was a huge relief to be selected.”
Keenan will travel to Barcelona, Spain, on Saturday (July, 13) for training and to acclimatize to the timezone, before he takes his first shot at a medal on Aug. 2. He will be joined in Europe by his coach Sheldan Gmitroski. Keenan’s mom and aunt will also be making the journey to cheer him on.
