Rosie MacLennan, seen competing in the 2015 Pan American Games.Ezra Shaw/Getty Images
At the London Olympics in 2012, Rosie MacLennan seemed to soar out of nowhere to capture gold in trampoline and become the only Canadian to mount the top podium step at the Games. In Rio de Janeiro on Friday, she competes to defend her title as the reigning Olympic queen of the trampoline.
MacLennan, who was Canada's flag-bearer at the Rio opening ceremonies, is no longer facing the pressure of bringing home the country's first gold of the Games. Penny Oleksiak already did the honour by tying for first in the women's 100-metre freestyle in swimming on Thursday night.
But MacLennan still faces the expectations that come from being a top-tier competitor in her sport. She fought her way back from a concussion last year that ate into her Olympic training, caused dizziness and impaired her spatial awareness – a challenge for a sport that requires practitioners to jump up to 26 feet into the air and remain in perfect form.
Despite the injury, the 27-year-old from King City, Ont., went on to win gold at the Pan Am Games in Toronto last year. This Friday afternoon, when she begins her deep breathing before her turn at the Rio Olympic Arena, she will be approaching the event as a formidable, three-time Olympic competitor.
"She's trying to put other people's expectations out of her mind and keep her own expectations of herself from being too high as well," coach Dave Ross told Agence France-Presse. "She knows that no one has ever defended their title. She knows that she's one of four people that could be on the podium."
MacLennan is the only Canadian in a tough field of 16 women, with strong competitors from China and Belarus. MacLennan has maintained her top international ranking since her Olympic triumph, winning a world title in 2013 and a silver medal in 2014. She finished fourth at the world championships last fall to secure Canada's place in Rio.
MacLennan and the other trampoline gymnasts in Rio will be judged on execution and difficulty, as well as their "flight time" – something that evokes trampoline's connection to astronaut training. It measures the time the athletes spend airborne.
It's a sport requiring strength and precision as competitors perform twists, flips and somersaults that leave no room for error. The goal is to go high, do the executions cleanly and land back in the middle of the trampoline.
Canada has performed well in the gymnastics event since its launch in Sydney in 2000, bringing home six medals.