Rosie MacLennan has won Canada’s second gold medal of the Rio Olympics.
She won gold in trampoline with a score of 56.465. This is her second gold medal – she also won Canada’s only gold medal of the London Olympics. With this medal, she becomes the only Canadian summer athlete to win back-to-back individual Olympic gold.
WATCH: Rosie MacLennan believes Canada is building legacy of world-class trampolinists
Bryony Page of Great Britain came in second with a score of 56.040, and China’s Li Dan took bronze with a score of 55.885.
Winning a second gold medal is “beyond words, beyond my wildest dreams,” MacLennan told CBC.
She said that she had a “shaky” preliminary round, so going into the finals she was focused on gaining height – “just lift and squeeze”. But she said that when she finished and saw her coach’s smile, she knew she had done well.
“It’s been amazing. I couldn’t have asked for a better outcome.”
MacLennan, from King City, Ontario, was Canada’s flag bearer at the opening ceremonies in Rio.
She’s had a difficult year – suffering a concussion during training last summer. She called the injury and recovery the “big challenge” of her athletic career, but managed to come back and win fourth place at the world championships in November. And now, she’s successfully defended her Olympic title.
She won gold in London, but her biggest challenge came after she sustained a concussion. Allison Vuchnich looks at the comeback of trampolinist Rosie MacLennan.