The Paris Olympics are just around the corner, and here at MSVU we’re getting set to cheer on two of our own!
Sprint paddler Sloan MacKenzie (canoe) will be making her first trip to the Olympics this July, while Michelle Russell (kayak) will be a returning Olympian, having competed in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
Canada’s Olympic and Paralympic canoe/kayak sprint athletes for the Paris Olympics: Sloan MacKenzie front row, far left, and Michelle Russell front row, third from right
Sloan is an undergraduate student in Applied Human Nutrition at MSVU with a goal of attending medical school. Together with her paddling partner Katie Vincent, Sloan won a gold medal in the C-2 500m event at the Pan American Games in 2023. No stranger to the podium, she also won two bronze medals at the ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships in 2023.
Michelle completed a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) degree in English at MSVU in 2020. Her professors were consistently impressed by her ability to excel in the classroom while training and competing as a world-class athlete. Like Sloan, Michelle was at the top of the podium at the Pan American Games in 2023 winning a gold medal in the K-1 500m event. She competed in two women’s individual kayak events (K-1 200m and K-1 500m) at the Tokyo Olympics.
We’re super proud of both of these Olympians and wish them the very best in Paris!