Could this be the end of a golden era for Rosie MacLennan?
KING, Ont. — Rosie MacLennan was born in the township of King, Ontario. Her parents are Jane and John MacLennan. Her grandfather was selected as a gymnast for the 1940 Summer Olympics in Tokyo yet couldn’t contend as the games were dropped because of the flare-up of World War II. She became the 2013 and 2018 World Trampoline champion, 2012 and 2016 Olympic champion, and 2011 and 2015 Pan American Games champion in the individual trampoline event. MacLennan was the Canadian National Women’s champion in 2005, 2009 and 2011, and in 2007 was the World Champion in synchronized trampoline with Karen Cockburn. She has also won five silver and four bronze medals in World Championship competition in both the individual and synchro events. MacLennan trains at Skyrider’s Trampoline Place in Richmond Hill, Ontario, with mentor David Ross, who has trained the entirety of Canada’s Olympic trampolinists.
SETTING THE RECORD STRAIGHT
In the wake of having a promising beginning of a career, following the 2008 Olympics, MacLennan won the 2009 Canadian Women’s Individual title. She came in 4th place for individual trampoline in the 2009 Trampoline World Championships in St. Petersburg and 3rd place for individual trampoline in the 2010 Trampoline World Championships in Metz. In 2011, she again won the Canadian Championships and came in 1st place at the Pan American Games in Guadalajara, Mexico and 2nd place in the 2011 Trampoline World Championships in Birmingham which won Canadian women a place in the Trampoline event for the 2012 London Olympics, where she will go on to win her first Olympic gold medal. She put on her best performance ever with a finals routine of 57.305, which was the gold-medal winning score for Canada. This was the first and only gold medal for Canada at these games and the first Canadian trampoline gold medal ever.
Having won series of national championship between 2013 to 2016, including the Canadian National Championship in Edmonton 2016, MacLennan was Canada’s flagbearer in the opening ceremony of the 2016 Summer Olympics. She successfully defended her Olympic title on August, 2016, making her the first Canadian to do so in an individual sport at the Summer Olympics and the first trampolinist, male or female, to successfully defend their Olympic title.
TOKYO 2020
In the weeks leading up to these Games, her fourth, MacLennan doubted that she would be able to compete. Just after the competition got underway, it was disclosed that two months ago during training, MacLennan experienced an extreme lower leg sprain and two torn ligaments. She just began rehearsing her schedules again two days prior to venturing out to Tokyo.
“Six weeks ago I was on crutches and in a boot.” she said. “The fact that I was able to get here and compete and do as well as I did, I have to be happy with that.”
MacLennan still managed to put on a wonderful display of acrobatics, soaring to breathtaking heights that brought gasps from the small smattering of group authorities and visitors within Tokyo’s Ariake Gymnastics Center.
The Ontario native has been trampoline’s top performer for more than a decade, always managing to make a very difficult sport look easy. She has never stopped innovating and striving to maintain her dominance. There was simply a lot for her to overcome on Friday. MacLennan finished fourth at the Tokyo Olympics, an exceptional appearance considering she could scarcely walk half a month prior.
“Obviously not quite what I was hoping for. I was really hoping to have the opportunity to stand on the podium for Canada again,” she said moments after the final results were posted.
China’s Zhu Xueying (56.635 points) and Liu Lingling (56.350) took gold and silver, respectively, while Great Britain’s Bryony Page (55.735) earned bronze. MacLennan finished agonizingly close with 55.460 points. The 32-year-old came to Tokyo trying to write a new history no Canadian athlete has ever done before in an individual sport: win three straight gold medals. She admitted, suffering the injury so close to the Games was, oddly, almost a relief. She said it gave her something to focus on besides the narrative around her quest for three straight gold medals.
FINAL THOUGHT
Even though MacLennan will leave Tokyo without a medal, she is undoubtedly one of her sport’s great performers and one of Canada’s most accomplished Olympic athletes. Thousands of Canadian athletes have competed at the Summer Olympics since Canada first began sending teams in 1904. But only one athlete, MacLennan, has been able to win a gold medal in two consecutive Games in the same individual event.
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