Mulmur athlete makes Top 100 in RBC Training Ground’s Olympic Talent Search

October 19, 2023 · 0 Comments

Written By Brian Lockhart

Julie Grohal, a multi-sport athlete from Mulmur, has been named a finalist in RBC Training Ground, the Canadian Olympic Committee’s official cross-country talent search.

The program is designed to identify and fund future Olympians.

Grohal was one of 2,200 athletes (aged 14-25) from a wide range of sports who participated in free local qualifier events across the country, performing core speed, strength, power and endurance tests in front of Olympic talent scouts to find the sport for which they are most suited or earn a funding boost in their existing sport based on their raw physical abilities.

The top 100 deemed to have great Olympic potential will now compete in the RBC Training Ground national final on Dec. 2 in Toronto. Thirty athletes from the final will earn funding, a spot on Team Canada with one of 12 partner National Sport Organizations, and an accelerated path to the Olympics.

Grohal, who graduated from Centre Dufferin District High School in the spring and is now playing rugby at Brock University, is looking forward to the opportunity.

“I’m really looking forward to meeting different athletes from different sports and different places, who all have an Olympic dream,” said Grohal.

During RBC Training Ground National Final testing, athletes’ speed, power, strength, and endurance will again be tested against sport-specific, high-performance benchmarks under the supervision of program sport partners. An athlete’s anthropomorphic measurements (height, wingspan, etc), sport-specific testing (conducted following the qualifier stage) and competitive sports history also play a role in who is selected for funding.

“RBC Training Ground is designed to help fill and fund Canada’s Olympic sport talent pipeline, said Evan MacInnis, Technical Director, RBC Training Ground. “Some of the athletes who participate in RBC Training Ground are looking to reenergize or boost an Olympic dream in a sport they are already participating in. Others participate with the hope of being discovered and directed toward an Olympic sport they may have never considered. But they all rely on raw athleticism to impress our sport partners and compete for funding.”

The finalists, who will have transportation, hotel and food covered by RBC, will be joined at the Final by RBC Training Ground alumni and Olympic medalists.

The 30 athletes selected for funding will be announced early in 2024. The funding is administered by the participating National Sport Organization, bringing the athlete into its system, and is used for coaching, transportation, travel, equipment, and nutrition. NSO partners include Boxing Canada, Canoe Kayak Canada, Climbing Escalade Canada, Cycling Canada Cyclisme, Freestyle Canada, Luge Canada, Rowing Canada Aviron, Rugby Canada, Speed Skating Canada, Triathlon Canada, Volleyball Canada, Boxing Canada, Climbing Canada; Triathlon Canada; and Wrestling Canada.

The complete list of 100 finalists is available at RBCTrainingground.ca in the community/news section.

Now in its 8th year, RBC Training Ground is a nationwide talent identification and athlete-funding program dedicated to finding and supporting the next generation of Canadian Olympians. Since its inception in 2016, the program has tested 13,000 athletes at free local events across Canada, with close to 2,000 being identified by NSO partners as having Olympic potential.

Thirteen RBC Training Ground athletes have competed at two Olympic Games, and together they’ve brought home a collective seven medals. Program alumni Kelsey Mitchell and Marion Thénault are among the medal winners, both of whom had never tried their Olympic sport before showing up at an RBC Training Ground event.

A new season of RBC Training Ground will be launching in early 2024. Visit RBCTrainingGround.ca for details.