Red is the new gold for Olympic athlete inspiring blood donations in Victoria

Andrea Proske won her gold medal in the women’s eight rowing. With training now taking a back seat, Proske is getting back to her family’s tradition of donating blood. (CTV News)

Fresh off a gold-medal win at last summer's Tokyo Olympics, a Victoria athlete is using her newfound fame to inspire others to give the gift of life.

Andrea Proske won her gold medal along with her teammates in the women’s eight rowing.

With training now taking a back seat, Proske is getting back to her family’s tradition of donating blood.

The 35-year-old Olympian was heading to a blood donation clinic at the Mary Winspere Centre in Sidney, B.C., on Monday.

“I think we forget what an impact we can have on our community,” said Proske. “If you can just get one person following this [who] decides they are going to go and donate blood, I just think my job is done, hugely impactful.”

The pandemic has led to staffing challenges and people being unable to donate because they've contracted COVID-19 or are self-isolating.

Proske compares the feeling of donating to one of winning a gold medal.

“I think one thing I really learned about this gold medal is that it’s a superpower," she said. "I get to bring joy everywhere I go, and donating blood is kind of like a superpower too. You get to give people something that is so intangible and really gives them a sense of security and love and compassion at a time when they need it most."

It's the second time in the four months that she has donated blood to help save lives.

“It’s really important for me to give back, and I think as athletes we’re people of action so we want to be involved," Proske said.

"During COVID especially, it’s really tough because you want to be involved, you want to get out there and be involved in something, but the best thing we could do was stay at home. So donating blood was one way I could feel like I was having an impact on helping those around us while keeping my community safe.”

Anyone interested in donating blood can find more information here.