PARIS — Illness during an event that happens only once every four years is the horror scenario for any Olympian. It happened to the Canadian women’s track pursuit cycling team, which includes Victoria riders Erin Attwell and Sara Van Dam, along with Maggie Coles-Lyster of Maple Ridge and Ariane Bonhomme of Gatineau, Que.
After years of training, the team was hit with a bacterial infection that laid them low in the Athletes Village as their big moment approached in Paris.
Attwell said she was down to “20 per cent” of her normal self last weekend: “I had a really high fever and had thrown up everything. I couldn’t eat much. But that’s the way it goes. I’m really proud considering the adversity we’ve had to face.”
Rounds of antibiotics got the team to the start line Tuesday, in which it qualified for the playoff round Wednesday, eventually placing eighth.
“It was a question of whether the girls were going to race at one point,” said Coles-Lyster, of how close it came to abandoning the whole thing.
“It came down to a matter of hours. Every hour the girls were feeling better. I think if we would have had one more day, this competition would have been completely different.”
The team came into the Olympics ranked No. 5 in the world and had hopes of the podium, especially after watching the Langford-based Canadian women’s rugby sevens team and the North Cowichan-based Canadian women’s rowing eights also come into the Paris Summer Games ranked No. 5 and both elevating themselves to Olympic silver medals last week. But it was not to be for the Canadian women’s pursuit team, hindered by illness.
“It’s been really unfortunate and definitely threw a wrench into our plans,” said Attwell.
“We had to change our strategy a fair amount. We’re not entirely sure what caused the illness. It was definitely not the performance we were hoping for, but we still did a team personal best and that’s something to be proud of, considering. It’s been a roller-coaster for sure but there’s nobody I would rather share this experience with than my teammates here.”
It was the four riders’ drive and tenacity, along with the Canadian medical staff, that even got them to the start line, as it was not a sure thing that they would be able to compete at all.
“We came in with the hopes of fighting for a medal and I truly think if we had a smooth [non-illness] run into our competition we would have been fighting for that medal,” said Van Dam.
“But with the cards we were dealt, we gave what we had and that’s all we could really do on the day. I’m really proud of my teammates.”
Coles-Lyster concurred: “[The illness] threw us all off quite a bit. The fact that we pulled three rides together is amazing in itself. We wanted to come here and fight for a medal. That didn’t happen. That’s the Olympic story. Sometimes, all four riders are on a perfect day, and sometimes, the week doesn’t go the way you expected.”
Looking around the Olympic velodrome after it was all done Wednesday night, it hit Van Dam where she was: “It’s pretty crazy to think back to where Erin [Attwell] and I started with Victoria Tripleshot Club as 11 year olds and now we are here at the Olympic Games representing sa国际传媒. Even with the hand we were dealt here at the Games, that’s an unreal feeling.”
No athlete makes this journey alone.
“My family is here from the Island and that’s amazing. I just want to make them proud,” said Attwell.
The U.S. won the gold medal, New Zealand the silver and Great Britain the bronze.
