Follow our athletes and support staff at the Olympics

Many of the McMaster alumni and staff who are in London for the Summer Olympic Games are tweeting and blogging about their experiences. Meet a few of them below:

Donna Vakalis, a pentathlon athlete, will be among the first to use the new laser guns that are replacing the pellet guns at the 2012 London Summer Olympics. Vakalis served as an alternate in Beijing and is ranked 32nd in the world.

Jeremiah Brown, a 2012 silver medal winner with the Canadian men’s eight rowing team, is a former lineman for the McMaster Marauders Football team. Four years ago he had never picked up an oar in his life. Brown looked up former national coach Doug White in Victoria where Brown had previously worked. Brown credits White with his accomplishments of where he is today.

Doug Csima, also a silver medal winner with the men’s eight, was a member of McMaster’s varsity rowing crew from 2003 to 2007. He has been a top performer at Hamiton’s Leander Boat Club and a member of the national rowing team since 2008.

Adam van Koeverden, kayaker, began kayaking at the age of 13 and has been given a Guiness World Record for the fastest 500m ever in a canoe or kayak. At the last Summer Olympics in Beijing, Koeverden carried the Canadian Flag into the Bird’s Nest Stadium – an honour Koeverden says it was his proudest moment as a Canadian. His blog not only contains stories of his athletic adventures, but also of his writing endeavours. Koeverden enjoys typing away at a keyboard and has had submissions in Cottage Life magazine and Dominion Day Regatta Programme.
van Koeverden was covered in The Spec July 26th

Joseph Veloce, sprint cyclist, tweeted on July 17th that after a 10 hour flight and 2.5 hour bus ride he, and the other cyclists selected to compete at Olympics, have arrived at the Olympic Village. Read our story about Veloce here.

Andrew Yorke is an alternate for the men’s triathlon. Although he is very excited to have been asked to compete as an alternative at the 2012 Summer Olympics, he hopes to never get the call to participate. Getting that phone call would mean one of the members has been injured and unable to carry on. In his blog titled “Trials of Miles,” Yorke wrote on June 22nd of 2011:

I’ve taken the tutle of my website from the novel Once a Runner. “Trials of Miles, Miles of Trials” John L. Parker definitely hit the nail on the head when describing the difficulties of the endurance athlete. To manage the challenges that are associated with the ultimate goal throughout the days, weeks, months and years leading up to the moment of reckoning is what makes a champion.

This quote will be part of my inspiration for the next four years leading into the London Olympics in 2012.

Summer Mortimer, paralympic swimmer, is an inspiring young woman who suffered a trampoline accident that left her with two shattered feet. Without letting that deter her, Mortimer is headed to the London Olympics with a 4 time IPC World Champion title, and a World record under her belt.