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The Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics are right around the corner, and to kick it off, here are some of the incredible RBC Olympians.

After the initial postponement of Tokyo 2020, athletes have had to pivot their training, competition schedules, and manage quarantine and international travel restrictions among so many other uncertainties. Their resilience is truly inspiring.

RBC is proud to support 33 Team Canada athletes who will be competing in Tokyo in over 17 different sports — from Taekwondo to Swimming to Beach Volleyball. Plus, for the first time ever at an Olympic Games, athletes who were discovered through RBC Training Ground will be competing. After trying out at a local RBC Training Ground event, young athletes were identified as having Olympic potential and received funding, coaching and mentorship support to make their podium dreams come true.

In addition to financial support, the RBC Olympians program provides athletes with opportunities to gain valuable career experience alongside flexible work arrangements. RBC Olympians also act as ambassadors, spreading the Olympic messages of teamwork, excellence, commitment and leadership to communities across Canada. Since its inception in 2002, hundreds of current and newly retired Olympians and Para athletes have benefited from the program — including household names Penny Oleksiak, Mark McMorris and RJ Barrett.

Through initiatives like RBC Training Ground and the RBC Olympians Program, RBC is proud to support amateur athletes at every stage of their careers.

Haley Daniels

RBC Olympian Haley Daniels canoeing

Sport: Canoe / Kayak

Hometown: Calgary, Alberta

Fun fact: If Haley wasn’t a kayaker, she would want to compete in mountain biking so she could spend more time in the mountains.

Haley began competing competitively at the age of 14. She is a multi-time Canadian Champion for white water slalom canoeing and won a Bronze medal at the Toronto 2015 Pan American Games. An ambassador for WaterAid Canada, she also travelled to Ghana to launch the WASH 4 Public health program in partnership with ‘Right To Play.’ Her sport has gone through a gender equity battle where historically men have represented at the Olympic Games, and women have not. A pioneer for gender equality in her sport, she led the charge to push for the inclusion of women’s canoeing at the Olympics. As a result of her tremendous determination, the women were successful and women’s canoe has been added to the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. With this major barrier aside, Haley is determined to leave a legacy in Tokyo and beyond. Haley is also a passionate spokesperson for the LGBTQ+ community. Her father, Kimberly, will be the first transgender judge in Olympic history this summer.

Melissa Bishop-Nriagu

Sport: Athletics

Hometown: Eganville, Ontario

Fun fact: Melissa was recently quizzed by Buzzfeed on her knowledge of Olympic trivia. Check out the BuzzFeed video, made in partnership with RBC.

After winning 800m Gold at the 2015 Pan American Games in Toronto, Melissa went to the IAAF World Championships where she broke the 14-year-old national record in the distance, becoming the first Canadian to go below 1:58. After that spectacular semifinal, Melissa went on to win the Silver medal in the final, which was quite a comeback after having missed the indoor season with a sports hernia and an ankle injury that sidelined her for several weeks.

At her second Olympic Games at Rio 2016, Melissa finished fourth in the 800m, matching Canada’s best-ever Olympic result in the event. Melissa made her Olympic debut at the 2012 London Games, the same year she first broke the two-minute mark in the 800m at the Prefontaine Classic. She won back-to-back national titles in 2013 and 2014 after finishing second at the 2012 Canadian Championships. She made her IAAF World Championship debut in 2013 before gaining more multi-sport competition experience at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. Melissa is also a mom to her 3-year-old daughter, Corrine.

Jennifer Abel

RBC Olympian Jennifer Abel midair during a diving competition.

Sport: Diving

Hometown: Montréal, Quebec

Fun fact: Jennifer was the first diver to execute a double and a half front flip with two twists!

An eight-time medalist at the FINA World Championships, Jennifer defended her world title for the fourth time at the 2018 Commonwealth Games by winning a Gold medal in the 3m springboard final in Gold Coast, Australia. She also earned the title in the 3m individual event at the 2015 Pan American Games in Toronto, posting her all-time best score. Jennifer has competed in three Olympic Games: at age 16, in Beijing 2008, she was the youngest diver ever to represent Canada at the Olympic Games; she won a Bronze medal in the 3m synchro with Emilie Heymans at the 2012 Games in London; and she finished fourth in the 3m individual event, and in the 3m synchro with Pamela Ware, at the Rio de Janeiro 2016 Olympics Games.

Michael Tayler

RBC Olympian Michael Tayler competing in the canoe-kayak slalom

Sport: Canoe/Kayak

Hometown: Ottawa, Ontario

Fun fact: Michael is also an RBC employee. As part of the RBC Olympians program, Michael is gaining valuable work experience with the Ontario North-East Regional Marketing & Citizenship team.

Michael competes in canoe-kayak slalom, in which athletes race down a section of whitewater rapids through a series of gates. Michael qualified for the London 2012 Olympic Games as a 20-year-old and was the youngest competitor in the field. He secured his second Olympic team nomination for Rio 2016 in large part thanks to his victories in all four runs at the 2016 National trials. At Rio 2016, Michael missed advancing to the semifinal by one spot and just eighteen-hundredths of a second, placing 16th.

Eleanor Harvey

RBC Olympian Eleanor Harvey is a foil fencer and has been representing Canada internationally since 2010.

Sport: Fencing

Hometown: Hamilton, Ontario

Fun fact: Eleanor prepares on the day of the competition by embracing a happy and positive attitude – which includes dancing!

Eleanor is a foil fencer and has been representing Canada internationally since 2010. She competed at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games and competed on the NCAA circuit for four years representing Ohio State University, where she studied psychology and women’s, gender, and sexuality studies. In 2018, she graduated and moved back to Canada to train full-time for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. When she isn’t training or coaching fencing, she loves drawing, practicing yoga, running, and spending time with her friends.

Team RBC Golfers take on Tokyo

Team RBC golfers Corey Conners, Mackenzie Hughes, Brooke Henderson and Alena Sharp

Team RBC golfers Corey Conners, Mackenzie Hughes, Brooke Henderson and Alena Sharp will represent Team Canada during the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympic Games.

Look out for these RBC Olympians and RBC Training Ground athletes who will be competing at the Tokyo Olympic Games:

Aaron Brown

Athletics

Alanna Bray-Lougheed (RBC Training Ground)

Canoe Kayak

Allison Beveridge

Track Cycling

Antoine Valois-Fortier

Judo

Ashley Lawrence

Soccer

Avalon Wasteneys (RBC Training Ground)

Rowing

Bismark Boateng

Athletics

Ellie Black

Artistic Gymnastics

Gabrielle Smith (RBC Training Ground)

Rowing

Gavin Smellie

Athletics

Jacqueline Simoneau

Artistic Swimming

Jennifer Abel

Diving

Jerome Blake (RBC Training Ground)

Athletics

John Smythe

Field Hockey

Kelsey Mitchell (RBC Training Ground)

Track Cycling

Kierra Smith

Swimming

Kristen Kit

Rowing

Lauriane Genest (RBC Training Ground)

Track Cycling

Mandy Bujold

Boxing

Matt Berger

Skateboarding

Melissa Humana-Paredes

Beach Volleyball

Penny Oleksiak

Swimming

Pierce LePage (RBC Training Ground)

Athletics

Skylar Park

Taekwondo

Trevor Jones (RBC Training Ground)

Rowing