Olympic race walker Evan Dunfee may have missed out on bronze in Rio, but he’s certainly won the hearts of Richmond’s young athletes.
Dunfee was just an elementary school kid who loved running when he joined the Richmond Kajaks Track and Field Club.
Since then, he’s become a national Olympic race-walking hero and a role model in the eyes of many young Kajaks athletes after he was promoted to third from fourth following a bump from a rival, only to have the medal taken off him again after an appeal process.
Dunfee refused to lodge his own appeal against the decision and accepted with grace his fourth place, stating that he wouldn’t have felt comfortable with a medal he didn’t earn.
His sportsmanship was praised by athletes around the globe and by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
Garrett Collier, head coach of the Richmond Kajaks, concurred that Dunfee’s actions were a shining example of honesty for young athletes to witness.
“Evan’s performance not only on the road in Rio but also his actions post-race after the 50k spoke volumes,” said Collier.
“The (Kajaks) got to see not only the competitive side of the Olympics, but the Olympic spirit side of athletics.
“I think Evan did a huge job in not only motivating athletes for future teams and some of our youth at Kajaks, but he also showed them how to be graceful, whether you have a great competition or the competition didn’t go as planned.”
Richmond Kajak and McMath Wildcat Camryn Rogers, a champion athlete in both the hammer throw and shot put events, agreed that Dunfee’s integrity was uplifting.
But she also brought up a major point about what makes Dunfee so special.
“One really cool thing this year was that when I was watching the Olympics, there were people that I knew that were competing, such as Evan and another hammer thrower and a shot putter,” said the 17-year-old.
“When I saw them competing, it really made me realise these are people I know. They’re living out their dreams, they’re training so hard to be at this level, and that’s definitely very inspirational.
“I always set goals for myself at the beginning of every season, and after just ending this one and seeing where I got to this year, I’m pushing the bar for myself even more for the next year.
“I hope that I keep pushing that bar until that bar is set at Olympic standard.”
As Rogers points out, perhaps why Dunfee stands out (other than his sportsmanship) is that he is living proof that great athletes can come from small beginnings.
She noted Dunfee’s determination and passion for race-walking launched him past the modest city limits of Richmond and eventually earned him a spot in the most distinguished international sports competition in modern history.
As well, Dunfee’s shown Richmond’s young athletes that their hard work and perseverance isn’t going to waste. Because of him, their dreams of representing Canada in the Olympics are no longer as far-off as they originally seemed to be.
