UBC track and field star Olivia Lundman is realizing her dream of competing at the Olympic Games at the young age of 21. The 3
rd year Kinesiology student from Lantzville, BC, qualified for the Paris Olympics in Turkey this past April alongside UBC alum and Olympic bronze medalist Evan Dunfee in the marathon race walk mixed relay event. It's the first time the marathon race walk mixed relay event has been part of the Olympic Games, and it's a uniquely special team-up for Lundman who gets to partner with Dunfee, her coach and inspiration for attending the University of British Columbia.
"This is going to be my first Olympics. I'm really excited. The whole experience of it all. I'm looking forward to being in Paris with the top athletes in every sport from across the globe in what will be the biggest race of my career to date," says Lundman.
Coach Evan Dunfee has been not only an inspiration to Lundman but has supported her throughout her journey to the Olympics. His expertise, focused training approach and guidance have been instrumental to her success.
The qualifying race was an incredibly challenging experience, with the final leg proving to be especially difficult for Lundman. She showed tremendous determination and grit as she managed to hold on and claim one of the final qualifying spots for Paris 2024.
"In Turkey we qualified as the 21st team out of 22 teams.The first thing that came into my head when I found out that we had qualified was relief, because I was afraid, I was going to be the one that just cost us the qualification and after that, I just felt gratefulness. Our final time was three hours and seven minutes holding the Canadian record so I'm hoping to break that again."
Lundman's pre-race rituals include listening to music and braiding her hair. Additionally, "I write a little mantra of my own. I write my pain, your purpose, my story, your glory. It just acts as a reminder that every time I go to the start line, and I do a race for a greater purpose, its for God and not for myself."
When Lundman competes, she holds onto that mantra to push herself even further.
"When I'm in the realm of twenty kilometers and hurting and I want to give up I my repeat the mantra in my head and it just encourages me to give a hard and honest effort regardless of what the results might be," says Lundman. "After the race in Turkey, I was sitting there and reflecting on how fortunate and blessed I am to have this opportunity that so many people dream of achieving, and it was coming true for me. Growing up, I was always encouraged to do my best and my parents were always proud of me. I could go on forever. I'm just so grateful for everyone that's supported me and helped me get this far."
You can watch Lundman and Dunfee compete in the race walk mixed relay event on August 6, 2024 at 10:30 pm PST.