Shortly after participating at the Olympic Games in Tokyo, Julia Greenshields is back home and showing support for the Sarnia Saints.
Greenshields went to Sarnia Saints Rugby Football Club (RFC) on Thursday to help out with the youth program and hold a meet and greet.
"The Sarnia Saints have always been a supporter of me and my rugby career," she said. "It's not just about giving back but also sharing my passion and my love for the sport. It has changed my life completely so I'm always down to encourage youth to get involved in rugby and of course give back to the community."
Julia Greenshields visits Sarnia Saints Rugby Football Club. August 19, 2021. (Photo courtesy of Julia Greenshields)
Greenshields has been on the national rugby team for nearly 10 years.
The 29-year-old said her recent Olympic experience was "quite different" as competitors were unable to cheer fellow athletes in different events or go sightseeing due to COVID-19 restrictions.
"We all had this big screen TV in our apartment so we could cheer from our village," she said.
Canada’s women’s rugby sevens team finished in ninth place at the Games. Greenshields said it was a disappointing outcome but it fueled a desire to come back stronger for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
"We ended the previous season in the top three so to have ninth... it's upsetting," said Greenshields. "From a personal perspective, I went in with a bit of an injury so I knew going into the Games that I was not going to be my fittest."
In early 2021, Greenshields said she developed patellar tendonitis in her right knee and received prolotherapy injections in May.
"That meant doing next to nothing for three weeks," she said. "One week before we went to Tokyo, I was finally training 100 per cent with the team. I knew very well I was not fit enough to my own standards, I knew I was not fast enough to my own standards, but I also had the confidence that I was very skilled and very knowledgeable, and had chemistry with my teammates so I was happy and content with that."
After coming home from Tokyo, Greenshields received another injection in her knee and has followed that up with rest and physical therapy.
Greenshields will host a Q & A session on August 28 following the Sarnia Saint's game against the Hamilton Hornets at the Norm Perry Field. There will also be a charity raffle with prizes up for grabs, including signed Olympic merchandise. Money raised will be donated to CANfund.
Olympic merchandise will be raffled off on August 28, 2021. (Photo courtesy of Julia Greenshields)