Langley’s Georgia Ellenwood has been named to Team Canada.
“Dreams really do come true,” Ellenwood enthused after the July 3 announcement.
“This took everything I had.”
A few weeks earlier, Ellenwood set a personal best of 6,314 points to win the heptathlon at the Stadtwerke Ratingen Mehrkampf-Meeting in Ratingen, Germany in late June.
It was the same event where Ellenwood recorded a personal best javelin throw, at 48.57 metres, and also won the heptathlon 800 metres with a personal best time of two minutes, 11.45 seconds.
Georgia Ellenwood 🇨🇦 set a new personal best (6314) in the heptathlon to take 🥇 at the Stadtwerke Ratingen Mehrkampf-Meeting in Germany 🙌
Let's hear it for Georgia! 👠pic.twitter.com/IvcakfSRvH
— Team Canada (@TeamCanada) June 20, 2021
When the pandemic hit, Ellenwood returned to Canada from the U.S. to live and train in Toronto.
It was a move with a drawback, as she explained in a May message.
“World ranking in the Heptathlon is based on both point total and bonus placement points in highly competitive meets,” Ellenwood elaborated.
“All competitions with bonus points are in Europe. We don’t host any competitive competitions in Canada to earn IAAF world ranking points.”
“Obviously this is not the ideal situation for someone with dreams of competing for their country in Tokyo,” Ellenwood said.
“It’s not perfect, but I will keep fighting because I love this sport and I’m thankful to have a body that is healthy and capable!”
I’ve always felt too comfortable with keeping things the same way and expecting to jump higher. I think it’s time to mix it up 🥣🌪 pic.twitter.com/dyCH2fgucU
— Georgia Ellenwood (@george_ahhh) February 2, 2021
Ellenwood is a Langley Secondary School 2013 graduate who lists Langley Mustangs coaches Kim Chapdelaine, Dwayne Lotnick and Brent Dolfo among her biggest inspirations.
She harvested many medals and top honours as a student athlete in Langley, including the 2010 B.C. Summer Games held in the Township, where she won four gold medals, and was presented with the W.R. Bennett Award for Athletic Excellence, as the top performer at the Games.
She followed up in 2011 with another four gold medals, when Ellenwood was named the most outstanding female performer at the B.C. high school track and field championships.
READ MORE: VIDEO: Langley’s Georgia Ellenwood takes gold at Big Ten Outdoor Championships
Ellenwood went on to become an eight-time NCAA All-American (six First Team, two Second Team) at the University of Wisconsin.
She had a memorable 2018 season when she won the heptathlon at the NCAA Championships, the Pan American Combined Events Cup, and the Canadian Championships.
That was after she missed the entire 2017 outdoor season because of breaking her foot on her jumping leg.
READ MORE: Ellenwood has golden touch
READ MORE: BC Summer Games a family affair for Langley’s Ellenwood clan
On July 8, Olympic organizers announced the Games would take place without spectators, due to a new wave of COVID-19 cases in Japan.
Athletics events are scheduled to take place from July 30 to August 8 (Day 10 to 19) at Tokyo Olympic Stadium.
Is there more to the story? Email: dan.ferguson@langleyadvancetimes.com
