On the road to Los Angeles: Hannah Taylor
Work has already started as Brock Wrestling Club member Hannah Taylor aims to represent Canada at the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. STEPHEN LEITHWOOD PHOTO.
The journey to the 2028 Summer Olympics has already started for Brock Wrestling Club member Hannah Taylor.
“We train super hard every single day so it’s hard not to feel like I am working towards something big,” said the 26-year-old P.E.I. native, who lost the 57-kilogram bronze-medal match in her first-ever Olympic appearance in 2024 in Paris.
It is a little hard to work so hard knowing the next Olympics is not until 2028.
“It’s just because of the uncertainty of the sport. You never know if you are going to get injured. I never know if I am going to have to go back to Prince Edward Island to see family if there is a family emergency or that kind of stuff,” the former under-23 world bronze medalist said. “But obviously with the goal of the Olympics hanging over your head, it is a privilege and something I look forward to every single day because it pushes me and makes everyone else in our room better as well.”
Nothing is set in stone yet where her wrestling career will ultimately take her.
“Everyone said to take a year to figure out your goals but I knew in September, a month after the Games, that I wanted to compete again because I didn’t want my last tournament to be that one. I didn’t want my last match to be the bronze medal match because it ended kind of prematurely.”
In that match, Taylor was pinned by second-ranked American Helen Maroulis, a former Olympic gold and bronze medalist.
“Just coming back in and getting better every single day motivates me to want to wrestle longer,” the eight-time national champion said.
Motivation is found in other areas as well.
“This year, coaching with the U SPORTS female apprenticeship program at Brock University I am working with athletes every single day. I am seeing them get better and as I am coaching them, I have to make sure I am showing them the best version of myself as well. That is motivating me to be better and as I teach them I am learning a lot as well. Seeing them implement things makes me reflect on their tournaments and think what I could do better.”
She describes herself as an easy-going coach.
“I like to be extremely relatable. Obviously I have had so many life experiences in the sport of wrestling that they can draw from so I like to utilize that. I have had so many great days but I’ve also had so many terrible days in wrestling. Although they might not know that or see that because I am always on a pedestal in this room, I can sympathize with them when they are going through hard times.”
As she works towards Los Angeles, she will use the lessons learned during the last quadrennial.
“It’s making sure that I am being a student of the sport the entire time. It is pretty easy to go through workouts and just get through them but sometimes you have to dissect every single thing that you are doing because wrestling is such a repetitive sport. Constantly learning and growing as an athlete is super important.”
Wrestling will always be a passion for Taylor.
“I love the individual nature of it. I don’t have to rely on anyone else. All the success is on me and all the failures are something I can reflect on and get better. It is a lot easier to make changes because the only factor is myself.”
The upcoming year will be a busy one. It will start with a tournament and training camp in Sweden in February followed by a world ranking tournament in Albania.
Her goals for 2025 are simple.
“I want to remain in the No. 1 spot at 57 kilograms in Canada, that is goal No. 1. Number 2 is to improve my standing internationally and show the world that I am up there with them after my Olympic performance where I came in fifth. Previously I was unranked so hopefully in the next couple of ranking series I can solidify myself in the top half.”
To achieve that, she will lean on her Olympic experience of just heading on to the mat without feeling pressure.
“At the Olympics, I thought I would have a lot more pressure but I didn’t because I had already gotten to that point. I just knew that every time I stepped on the mat it was an opportunity to showcase a lifetime of work. Now stepping on the mat, I have the same opportunity. I may get single-eliminated but if I go out there and put on a performance I can be proud of, it makes wrestling a lot more fun and a lot more rewarding. The results will speak for themselves.”
