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By Jackson Starr | Ottawa Sports Pages
It has been a long and winding road to the Olympics for Ottawa’s Jessica Gaudreault.
The 29-year-old Canadian water polo goalkeeper (who will hit 30 on July 18) is entering her second Olympic Games, but first as a starter, after serving as an alternate for the Tokyo Games in 2021.
Gaudreault had played a majority of Canada’s games in goal in the lead-up to Tokyo, which left her looking for answers after the surprising news that she wasn’t chosen for either of the two goalie spots on the Olympic roster.
“After Tokyo, I just had to really reevaluate,” reflects Gaudreault, “and decide that I had to take my game to the next level to make sure that those types of decisions were never made again, and that I was playing all the games, because as a competitive athlete, honestly, that’s what you want.”