It was a road that started at the track field behind St. Peter’s College.
And that is a place that Brianne Theisen-Eaton and her mom, Kim Theisen hold close to their hearts as Theisen-Eaton comes home from the Rio Olympics a bronze medalist.
“When I was competing at Muenster I never thought I’d be here (at the Olympics) so it feels very surreal.”
In Muenster, Theisen-Eaton’s first goal was to get a scholarship to go to university for Track and Field. It was not until she was at the University of Oregon that she had aspirations to go to the Olympic games.
No matter how far she gets in her Track and Field career, Theisen-Eaton says she feels like the same person that competed in Muenster all those years ago. When people tell her she is a role model for someone or their children, she has not really understood that concept yet.
“You don’t really understand the full impact of what that means. Maybe that’s something that you start to understand later or something I’ll understand when I have kids.”
Looking back on her Olympic performance, Theisen-Eaton was ranked a heavy favourite for the gold medal.
There is a life lesson there, she says; roll with the punches.
“It’s important to roll with stuff. Take it as it comes and make the most of it. I feel like that’s what happened during this competition.”
Theisen-Eaton climbed up and down the heptathlon standings all through her competition, starting at 6th and finishing 3rd after seven events.
The first day did not go as well as she hoped but Theisen-Eaton kept going and is content with her bronze since she feels she did the best she could.
“I wouldn’t go back and change anything. There wasn’t a moment where I thought, ‘if I’d only have done this, or if I hadn’t been negative during this event maybe I’d have done better.’ I didn’t have any moments like that.”
Watching the events it was plain to see the camaraderie between the heptathlon athletes. Theisen-Eaton says the heptathlon is different from other track and field events.
These heptathletes are together for two days straight and it would be a long two days if they do not want to be friendly to everyone.
“It’s stressful and sometimes it’s not fun...your all going through it together. There’s a little bit more sympathy or compassion for one another when something doesn’t go well, or something does go well.”
Theisen-Eaton says making those friends is part of the fun of the heptathlon.
Being able to share the biggest performance of her life with her family, who travelled to Rio to take in the Olympics, was something that was very important for Theisen-Eaton.
Ashton Eaton, Theisen-Eaton’s husband has been a huge support for her as well, watching her performance from the coaches area.
“He’s been such a big part of what I do...but also he’s doing his own thing and I gain my own inspiration from that.”
Parents, Cal and Kim Theisen, have been the biggest support, says Theisen-Eaton, especially while working towards her track and field career back in high school.
She would not be here if it was not for them.
“They started it out and Ashton has been helping me since I’ve moved away from home.”
The Theisen’s brought a little piece of Humboldt with them to Rio with seven flags that were signed by Humboldt school children and residents.
Kim Theisen says that putting them up around their rented condo was the first thing they did when they got to Rio.
Coming from Humboldt, Theisen says they have just been overwhelmed with well wishes for Theisen-Eaton’s success.
“It’s really nice to have that support and Humboldt’s a great community that stands behind Brianne and our family.”
Special thanks to Theisen-Eaton’s sponsor P&G for setting up time with Theisen-Eaton, who is also a Crest ambassador during the Olympics, and her mother, Kim, while they were in Rio.
