Haley Smith took a leap of faith in relocating to the Island in 2014 from her hometown of Uxbridge, Ont. If those seven years training on Bear Mountain pay off will be decided in the wee hours this morning Pacific Time when the riders hit the 颅finish line in the women鈥檚 颅mountain biking race of the Tokyo Olympic Games.
鈥淭he move to Victoria was a huge benefit in my development as an athlete,鈥� said Smith.
鈥淚t鈥檚 become my second home. The ability to stay in sa国际传媒 on world-class courses was so important, especially in the past year during COVID. You didn鈥檛 know if Tokyo was going to happen and now it鈥檚 real. I am grateful that it鈥檚 happening at all. I am just going to shed the pressure and go for it.鈥�
Smith knows she is following in some legendary tire ruts in her sport. Alison Sydor of Victoria won silver in women鈥檚 mountain biking in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, Marie-Helene Premont of Quebec the silver in the 2004 Athens Summer Games and Victoria-trained Catharine Pendrel the bronze medal in the 2016 Rio Olympics.
Described as sa国际传媒鈥檚 Next one, Smith made her multi-sport event breakthrough with bronze in the 2018 Gold Coast 颅Commonwealth Games. Said two-time world champion 颅Pendrel, who is also racing in the Tokyo Olympics: 鈥淭his will be a stepping stone for Haley to Paris 2024.鈥�
It will have taken a lot to get there as Smith overcame anorexia as a teen.
