Brianne Theisen-Eaton
A little while ago I wrote about Jessica Ennis-Hill’s Olympic glory and her journey to retaining her title. One woman who is aiming to stop her is Canadian athlete Brianne Theisen-Eaton.
Brianne competed in a number of different sports while in high school but it was track and field where her true talents lay. In 2005 she competed in the 2005 World Youth Championships and in 2007 she won gold in the Pan American Junior Championships. Her success led to her being offered a scholarship to attend the University of Oregon where she continued to compete in athletics. During her time there she won two NCAA titles as well as making the Canadian national team for the World Championships.
She competed in her first Olympics in 2012 where she came in 10th place. She won her first medal at an international event in 2013 at the World Championships in Moscow coming in second place, a feat that she followed up last year in Beijing. For most people securing a podium finish would be satisfactory but not for Brianne, in an interview last year she said, “I look at that medal and I think ‘This is a failure’”.
This is the kind of attitude that shows what a great role model Brianne is, despite claiming a silver medal she wasn’t happy, she wanted more and most importantly she knew she was capable of more and that was why she was disappointed. All girls should strive to achieve the very best that they are capable of. This determination helped Brianne win bronze on Saturday night in what was considered by many as the most competitive heptathlon field in history.
-Michelle O’Brien
Junior Girl
Girl Museum Inc.