Tseshaht First Nation member Shalaya Valenzuela is an Olympic medalist.
Valenzuela is a member of the Canadian women’s rugby sevens squad. The Canadian club captured a silver medal on Tuesday, July 30 at the Paris Olympics, which are ongoing in France.
Canada was downed 19-12 by New Zealand in the gold-medal match.
The silver-medal performance is the best ever Olympic finish for the Canadian women’s team.
Canada had previously won the bronze medal at the 2016 Rio de Janiero Olympics in Brazil.
Women’s rugby sevens was introduced as an Olympic sport at those Games in Brazil.
Valenzuela, who is 25, did not see any playing action with the Canadian club in Paris. Though she was part of the contingent and participated in all team festivities, Valenzuela was a reserve player for the Olympics.
She was added to the Canadian team roster mere days before the Olympics began on July 26.
“These past few days have been surreal,” Valenzuela said in a social media post from Paris. “I'm immensely proud to be part of this incredible team's journey. The work we've put in together on and off the pitch has made me a better athlete and human. I am so grateful for the opportunity to show up each day for all of you.”
Valenzuela obviously would have preferred to get into some game action in Paris.
“Being selected as a reserve is tough but when you are part of a special group like this, you can’t help but have a team-first mindset,” she said. “It is hard to feel anything but extremely proud of my teammates and what we've accomplished this season.”
Canada’s medal aspirations in Paris were given a significant boost after it upset host France 19-14 in a quarter-final match on Monday, July 29.
Canada then advanced to Tuesday’s gold-medal game when it defeated Australia 21-12 earlier on Tuesday.
“I'm honoured to experience this with such a special group,” Valenzuela said.
She also had some special words for those who have supported her throughout her career.
“I would like to say a huge thank you to all my friends, family and teammates for always backing me no matter what,” she said.
