OSHAWA, ON - Emily Cooper of the Durham College women's rugby team has been named as a top 100 athlete by RBC Training Ground in a competition for 'Future Olympian' status.
RBC Training Ground is a program that travels across Canada in search of young athletes under the age of 25 with the intention of helping to build the Canadian Olympic pipeline.
The program identifies talent and provides them with the resources they need to continue their journey as elite athletes with the goal of helping lift them to Olympic status.
Qualifying stages took place across Canada between January and April this year with more than 2,200 athletes and this announcement identifies the top 100, or top 0.04% of the competition.
"I heard about the RBC training ground qualifying events through my teammate [Allie Macculoch] who had also participated," said Cooper. "I had no expectations going into it, I just thought it would be a super cool opportunity so I gave it a shot."
Cooper came to Durham from Guelph in 2022 to play for the Lords, earning OCAA Women's Rugby Sevens Rookie of the Year, League All-Star and ultimately the overall OCAA Women's Rookie of the Year honours.
This year she has further elevated her game, scoring 29 tries for 145 points in 14 games played as the Lords go into the 2023 OCAA Women's Rugby Sevens Championship with an undefeated 14-0 record. She currently leads the league in tries (nine ahead of the next best player) and points (39 ahead of second).
The 2023 National Final will be held in Toronto in December and will be one last event for the year as they look to further narrow down the list from the top 100 athletes to the top 30 'Future Olympians'.
"It is a crazy feeling knowing that I had made the top 100 in Canada, especially since they're looking for rugby athletes right now and my ultimate goal is to play 7s in the Olympics," said Cooper. "I think the National final is going to be an amazing experience just for the fact that I'll be surrounded by other talented athletes and I'll get to meet Olympians as well. I can't wait to show what I've got and to represent the Lords!"
Stay in the know regarding Durham College Athletics and follow us on Instagram, X (Twitter) and Facebook.
