Olympic Dream Alive And Well, Just Delayed For Bridget Carleton

It has been a rollercoaster spring for Bridget Carleton, and other elite athletes across the globe.

Question marks about the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games were raised as the COVID-19 pandemic spread. Then, Canada announced they would not be sending athletes to the 2020 Olympics. This was followed by the Olympic Games being postponed. Then, the announcement that the Olympics would take place in Tokyo in 2021.

Carleton and Canada’s women’s basketball team were ready to go for 2020. They were ready to compete for a medal, which makes the postponement disappointing, but necessary.

“Obviously it’s disappointing,” said Carleton. “This is something we have been looking forward to since the last summer Olympics in 2016. But considering the circumstances, I’m glad the decision was made to postpone the games. It was the right decision for the health and wellbeing of our entire globe.”

Carleton had a busy 12 months, finishing her NCAA career, playing for Connecticut and Minnesota in the WNBA, playing for Townsville in the WNBL, and helping Canada qualify for the Olympics.

Now, Carleton is locked indoors, and trying to stay ready for a new basketball season.

“I’ve been doing lots of strength training at home, doing conditioning and agility work by myself outdoors, shooting hoops in my backyard when the weather is okay. It’s definitely difficult but we’re all going through this together and I’m making the most of it. It’s a good opportunity for me to focus on things I don’t always have time for like more mental training and mobility work.”

With an unknown timeline ahead for the return of basketball, Carleton is excited to get back on the floor.

She believes Canada’s National team has the potential for great things at the 2021 Olympics.

“We are really excited about the growth of our women’s program at the international level. Our team is ranked fourth in the world, which is our highest world ranking ever. We have set a goal to get to the podium at the Olympics and we are really confident and motivated to do that.”