'We're thrilled': Vancouver Island rowers bring home bronze at Tokyo Olympics
A pair of Vancouver Island rowers are coming home with bronze medals for their efforts at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.
Caileigh Filmer and Hillary Janssens, of Victoria, took home hard-fought bronze medals in the women’s 2,000-metre pairs event.
It's just the third time that Canada has won a medal in the event, and was the first time in nearly 30 years, according to Olympics Canada.
The two previous times Canada won a medal in the event was when Marnie McBean and partner Kathleen Heddle won a gold in Barcelona in 1992, and when partners Tricia Smith and Betty Craig took home a silver in Los Angeles in 1984.
"We've had a pretty awesome day and we're just feeling so lucky to be here, and yeah, enjoying every minute," Janssens told CTV News after the race on Wednesday.
The pair say they're happy with their performance, with the partners putting in as much energy as they could throughout the race.
"It was fast, but when it's fast it's a little bit bumpy in the rowing boat because they're pretty tippy and very sensitive to what your bodies are doing," said Janssens.
"And in a tailwind it's even more precarious and you got to be really careful, but it's the Olympic finals so we didn't really want to be careful, we wanted to go hard," she said. "And we did that, and yeah, we got to the podium, so we're thrilled."
Filmer says the pair has been racing together since 2015, and the intense training and events they've competed in together has led to a close bond.
"It's hard when you're with each other all the time to hide anything that you're feeling, so it's really – you just have to be honest when you're having a good day or when you're having a bad day because there's no hiding it," said Janssens.
"We see each other at our worst and at our best and today we were able to give our best together and that's what we've been training so hard for, for so long," she said. "So we're happy that we did well today."
Filmer, 24, started rowing at the age of 13 and was born and raised in Victoria. She would go on to attend the University of California for several years before transferring to the University of Victoria.
Janssens, 27, was raised in Cloverdale, B.C. and now lives in Victoria. She's competed in two World Rowing Championships and graduated from the University of British Columbia.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Young people 'tortured' if stolen vehicle operations fail, Montreal police tell MPs
One day after a Montreal police officer fired gunshots at a suspect in a stolen vehicle, senior officers were telling parliamentarians that organized crime groups are recruiting people as young as 15 in the city to steal cars so that they can be shipped overseas.
'It was joy': Trapped B.C. orca calf eats seal meat, putting rescue on hold
A rescue operation for an orca calf trapped in a remote tidal lagoon off Vancouver Island has been put on hold after it started eating seal meat thrown in the water for what is believed to be the first time.
Man sets self on fire outside New York court where Trump trial underway
A man set himself on fire on Friday outside the New York courthouse where Donald Trump's historic hush-money trial was taking place as jury selection wrapped up, but officials said he did not appear to have been targeting Trump.
Sask. father found guilty of withholding daughter to prevent her from getting COVID-19 vaccine
Michael Gordon Jackson, a Saskatchewan man accused of abducting his daughter to prevent her from getting a COVID-19 vaccine, has been found guilty for contravention of a custody order.
Mandisa, Grammy award-winning 'American Idol' alum, dead at 47
Soulful gospel artist Mandisa, a Grammy-winning singer who got her start as a contestant on 'American Idol' in 2006, has died, according to a statement on her verified social media. She was 47.
She set out to find a husband in a year. Then she matched with a guy on a dating app on the other side of the world
Scottish comedian Samantha Hannah was working on a comedy show about finding a husband when Toby Hunter came into her life. What happened next surprised them both.
B.C. judge orders shared dog custody for exes who both 'clearly love Stella'
In a first-of-its-kind ruling, a B.C. judge has awarded a former couple joint custody of their dog.
Saskatoon police to search landfill for remains of woman missing since 2020
Saskatoon police say they will begin searching the city’s landfill for the remains of Mackenzie Lee Trottier, who has been missing for more than three years.
Shivering for health: The myths and truths of ice baths explained
In a climate of social media-endorsed wellness rituals, plunging into cold water has promised to aid muscle recovery, enhance mental health and support immune system function. But the evidence of such benefits sits on thin ice, according to researchers.