Olympian Jesse Lumsden to train at Canadian Rugby Centre of excellence as part of TRY4GOLD Campaign
Two-time Olympic Bobsledder and retired CFL Running Back targeted as potential crossover athlete for Summer Olympics
LANGFORD, BC – As part of Rugby Canada’s continued search for the best Rugby Sevens athletes, Canadian bobsledder and former CFL star Jesse Lumsden will be training in Langford this week.
On Monday and Tuesday, Lumsden will take part in physical training sessions and testing at the Canadian Rugby Centre of Excellence as part of Rugby Canada’s Try4Gold campaign.
Lumsden will join Canada’s Men’s Centralized athletes in speed, fitness and skill assessments, ran by coaches Kieran Crowley and Ben Herring ahead of the opening leg of IRB Sevens World Series next month in Australia.
“Having the opportunity to assess and develop an athlete of Jesse’s caliber is exciting for us as the profile of Rugby Sevens grows in the build-up to the Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro in 2016,” said Steve Lancaster, High Performance Manager for Rugby Canada.
“Jesse possesses a number of the qualities we’re looking for in a crossover athlete – explosive speed, power and mental toughness – through our Try 4 Gold Campaign. Our goal is to find and harness the best athletes and rugby players in the country to be successful at the Olympics,” added Lancaster.
Lumsden is a well-known Canadian bobsledder and retired Canadian Football player, who played for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, Edmonton Eskimos and Calgary Stampeders. The 6’1, 223lb former running back – who consistently ran a 4.4 in the 40m dash – competed for Canada at the 2010 and 2014 Winter Olympic Games in Canada and Russia.
Rugby Canada’s Try4Gold campaign is set to kick off next month with Talent Identification camps taking place at various locations across the country.
Members of Canada’s High Performance department will be on the look out for potential crossover athletes aged 15 and over to join the National Sevens Development Program.
Rugby Sevens will make its Summer Olympics debut in Rio de Janeiro in 2016, and will also feature in the 2020 edition in Tokyo, Japan. Full details, including dates and locations for the Try4Gold camps, can be found at http://events.rugbycanada.ca
Canada’s Men’s Program has a busy few months ahead with the Gold Coast Sevens taking place October 11-12, followed by the Dubai and South Africa legs of the World Series on December 5-6 and 13-14 respectively.
Canada’s Men’s Fifteens ‘A’ Team will compete in the 2014 IRB Americas Rugby Championship at Westhills Stadium October 11, 15 and 19 in Langford, BC before the full National side departs for their annual November tour to Europe. Tickets for #ARC2014 can be found here: http://events.rugbycanada.ca
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