Rio 2016: Gymnast Rosie MacLennan named Canada’s flag bearer for Opening Ceremony

Gymnast Rosie MacLennan has been named Team Canada’s flag-bearer for the Opening Ceremony of the 2016 Rio Olympics.

The announcement was made via a press release just before Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was to formally introduce MacLennan as the flag-bearer in Ottawa.

The two arrived on Parliament Hill Friday morning, making their way through a crowd of cheering children before taking the podium.

“All of our extraordinary athletes embody the motto of the Olympics: swifter, higher, stronger, and our flag-bearer certainly does,” said Trudeau. “But I guess we put a particular emphasis on the ‘higher’ for this particular athlete.”

MacLennan, who competes in the trampoline event, won Canada’s only gold medal of the London Olympics in 2012. Rio will be her third Olympics.

READ MORE: Rosie MacLennan – Canada’s newest Olympic flag bearer

MacLennan took to the microphone to say a few words – after it was lowered for her by the much-taller Trudeau – and began by thanking her family, her coaches and the Canadian Olympic Committee staff.

“It is an absolute honour to have the opportunity to lead Team Canada into the Opening Ceremony,” she said. “As a kid, I dreamed of being an Olympian. And as I grew up, I was captivated by the values that the Olympic movement stands for. That pursuit of excellence, respect, and the celebration of humanity.”

“Competing in the Olympic Games and joining that movement was absolutely a dream come true. But standing here, going into my third Games, I’m filled with so much pride and so much gratitude that words can’t even begin to describe it.”

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WATCH: Rosie MacLennan honoured to represent Canada at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games

1:23 Rosie MacLennan honoured to represent Canada at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games

Curt Harnett, Canada’s chef de mission, said that MacLennan “epitomizes what Canadians look for in their athletes.”

Since the London Olympics, MacLennan has continued to win medals in world championships and at the Pan Am Games, despite suffering concussions. She remains competitive at the international level and could add to Canada’s medal count this time around. Although she recently suffered some injuries, she told reporters that she’s feeling “back on track.”

The 27-year-old King City, Ontario native earned a career-high score of 57.305 for her gold medal-winning trampoline performance at the London Olympics.

In 2008, MacLennan placed 7th at the Olympics in Beijing.