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LAUREN GALE
Sport: Athletics
Event: Women’s 400 m, 4×400 m relay
Age: 24
Hometown: Ottawa
Residence: Ottawa
Local Club: Ottawa Lions Track and Field Club
Second Olympics
Instagram: @laurenngalee
VIEW LAUREN’S COMPETITION SCHEDULE HERE.
By Jackson Starr
Young athletes look up to her and many certainly would love to be in her shoes one day, but as Lauren Gale showcases regularly during her workouts at Terry Fox Athletic Facility, there is no secret ingredient to the recipe that’s allowed her to make her second Canadian Olympic team at age 24.
“I enjoy working hard,” Gale signals. “I like the feeling of going to practice and getting my butt kicked. It’s a good routine to stay in as well. It makes quite a few people around me proud, and I like making my parents and friends proud.”
The Ottawa Lions Track and Field Club athlete is about to attend her second Olympics, but will run in the Games for the first time. Gale attended the Tokyo Olympics as a member of Canada’s women’s 4×400-metre relay team, but was not selected to compete.
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“I had no idea what the Olympics was going to be like,” she reflects. “Walking in the village and seeing all the different countries’ buildings, and the facilities and the people, I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, I have to come back and do this again.’”
With COVID shutting spectators out of the Games, Gale was one of the few people who got to watch Canada lay down an exceptional fourth-place performance in the 4×400 relay, led by an experienced group including Ottawa’s Alicia Brown.
“Just being on the sidelines watching my teammates – as much as I was in tears, very excited for them because they ran so well, I wanted to be out there as well running with them,” Gale recalls. “Very excited to get to run this time. It’s going to be a great crowd with lots more people, so it should be very exciting.”
Read More: Alicia Brown looking to recharge and reflect in retirement
Gale emerged as a top talent in Canada in her early high school years at South Carleton and racing with the Lions. She won three OFSAA provincial high school gold medals and was a Canadian under-16 200 m champion in 2015, and then won 400 m silver medals the next year at both the U18 and U20 levels.
Gale continued to rise as she finished her high school in Colorado, where her family moved due to her father’s military posting, and then at Colorado State University.
“They are definitely more intense about their sports in the States, so I focused a lot on that,” recounts Gale, who represented Canada at the 2017 Commonwealth Youth Games and 2018 world junior championships. “Coaching through that got me into the university system and (I) got to do it D1.”
At Colorado State, she earned many more accolades, including a school record in the 400 m and a Mountain West conference title. Gale attributes one key area to her continued success.
“It was a lot of hard work,” she signals. “People say running is normally their sports punishment, so hard work and knowing how to push my body to its limits. Going through the motions even after you’re tired and thinking your body’s done, just being able to push that extra couple reps in a set or once you’re done running and you have weights after – just learning hard work.”
Gale’s resilience was put to the test after making her debut at the senior World Athletics Championships, where she couldn’t compete in the relays due to a foot injury following her 200 m and 400 m individual races. She adds that the sport provides plenty of mental challenges as well, and that managing those is an essential part of sustaining success consistently.
“We can have some long days,” adds Gale, who returned to Ottawa after graduating from Colorado State and went on to study dentistry at Algonquin College. “You could run at 9 a.m. and then your final could be at 8 p.m., so just trying to stay fresh and ready for it depending on the meet.
“It’s not like a basketball game where you have multiple tries to shoot the basketball. You have one race and if it doesn’t go well, then that’s on you and your one chance is done.”
Gale did make the best of a second opportunity to qualify for the 2024 Olympics, however. She and her teammates fell just short of clinching a Paris 2024 berth for Canada at May’s World Relays in the mixed 4×400 m.
But Gale met the individual 400 m Olympic qualification standard time with a 50.57-second performance in early June in Guelph, and earned a spot on the 4×400 m relay team as well with her second-place finish at the late-June Canadian trials in Montreal.
Two other sprinters from the area also qualified to run for Canada at the Olympics – Gatineau’s Audrey Leduc and Guelph-based Jacqueline Madogo of Ottawa.
“It’s crazy talent. We have quite a few training clubs that are producing amazing athletes,” Gale highlights, noting that the facilities at Terry Fox and indoors at the Louis-Riel Dome also help create a winning atmosphere for local track-and-field athletes.
“We’re very lucky that the city provides us with great facilities and great track clubs as well,” she adds. “I can shout-out the Ottawa Lions because I know they’ve got such a great system and so many great coaches that volunteer their time to help the athletes. Definitely quite a few clubs that are really amazing.”
Departing for France this week, the world’s 36th-ranked women’s 400 m runner says she’s excited for her upcoming Olympic experience, while carrying high expectations.
“It will be nice to have fans in the stadium,” signals Gale, though her focus will remain on “executing my race and doing my job.”
“My goals are hopefully to make it to the semis in the 400 m and medal in the 4×4 with our team. I’m just looking forward to being in the village and seeing all the people there as well. Just the whole experience of the Olympic Games is going to be crazy. I’m looking forward to it.”
Gale will also have a large supporting cast behind her, with 16 friends and family members making the trip across the pond.
“It’s crazy because they’re paying for flights and Airbnbs,” Gale laughs. “The Olympic tickets are not cheap, so it’s crazy and I’m very excited to hang out with them. Trying to organize a dinner reservation will be fun.”
With a strong work ethic, mentality, a plethora of past success, and the fans in the stands behind her, Gale can’t wait to compete for Canada on her sport’s biggest stage.
“Representing my country is always an honour,” she underlines. “To put the uniform on with the flag, it’s such a great feeling when you get to all these big meets and you know that you’re representing Canada and you’ve got such great teammates who are counting on you. Overall, it’s a great experience and I just love the sport.”
COMPETITION SCHEDULE:
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