You can add the name of triathlete Tyler Mislawchuk to the list of homegrown athletes who will be representing Manitoba in the Tokyo Summer Olympics later this month.
While it was considered a mere formality, Triathlon Canada — in conjunction with the Canadian Olympic Committee — has officially confirmed the 26-year-old from Oak Bluff has been named to Team Canada and will compete in the men’s triathlon event on July 26, which will be Day 3 of the Games.
Mislawchuk will be joined in Japan by swimmer Kelsey Wog, Shae (Fournier) La Roche of the women’s water polo team, Desiree Scott of the women’s soccer team, cyclist Leah Kirchmann and taekwondo’s Skylar Park.
Mislawchuk finished 15th in the men’s individual race while making his Olympic debut at the Rio Games in 2016. His sights will be set much higher this time around, especially after a history-making performance in August 2019 in Tokyo. Mislawchuk became the first Canadian to win an Olympic test event in the 20-year history of triathlon as part of the Olympic program.
And while nearly two years have passed since that momentous occasion, during a June 15th conversation with Christian Aumell on the CJOB Sports Show, Mislawchuk said there are still some positives — at least from a psychological perspective — he can use to his advantage.
“It’s the exact same course, in the exact same conditions, with pretty much all the exact same athletes. You’re just two years further down the road and I’m probably a better athlete than I was two years ago.”
More recently, Mislawchuk ran, rode and swam his way to a victory last month in Huatulco, Mexico at the final World Cup event before the 2020 Games. A few days after that race, he said the plan was to compete one more time before Tokyo at the Americas Triathlon Cup event set for Sunday, July 18 in Long Beach, Calif.
“Given the lack of racing over the last two years, I just kind of wanted almost like a practice tuneup,” said Mislawchuk, who has been training in the Tokyo-like heat and humidity of Bentonville, Ark. “I’m not too worried about how it goes. Just going through the motions one more time. You can train as much as you want — the best way to get into game shape is to play the game.”
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