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CSU Ram track star represents Canada in 2021 Tokyo Olympics

Karsyn Lane

July 20, 2021

Lauren Gale, a junior athlete at Colorado State University, was nominated to Team Canada’s 4×400-meter relay team for the Tokyo Olympics on Saturday, July 3. Gale is the youngest of the 57 athletes chosen to symbolize the maple leaf at the age of 21.

From a young age, Gale began her athletic resume as a member of the Ottawa Lions Track & Field Club during junior high. She continued her track career at Discovery Canyon High School before transferring to Colorado State and making a name for herself as a CSU Ram.

“The season was really structured so that she was prepared and has gas in the tank to run in Tokyo,” said John Riese, track and field assistant coach. “It wasn’t a surprise per se, but it was still great to see her rewarded for her hard work.”

As the Tokyo Olympics approach this season, Gale has been preparing and is ready to compete while representing green and gold.

Gale’s relay performance is one to look out for, especially considering she’s the youngest of the 57 team members representing Canada.”

At the Summer Olympics, the 4×400 meter relay is the longest track relay event held at a multi-sport event. Gale holds school records for the 4×400 relay team for both indoor and outdoor, in addition to her 400m school records. She has won five conference titles, including four Mountain West 400m titles (Indoor, 2019-20; Outdoor, 2019, 2021) and a 4×100 MW title. The first round of the Women’s Olympic 4×400 relay will take place on Aug. 5, with the final two days leaving fans peeled for more.

As a step to represent Colorado State and her hometown, many people have recognized Gale’s achievements. As Gale anticipated the nomination, she described the moment she was on the porch with her parents when she saw the notification, and “we just got happy and started jumping around.”

“There are definitely athletes that I’ve looked up to growing up that are on the team,” Gale said. “Andre De Grasse is on the team. I took a picture with him like four or five years ago, and he signed my grandpa’s shirt, and now I am competing on the same team as him. It is definitely interesting and cool.”

In the last few days leading to the beginning of Tokyo’s Summer Olympics, Gale has taken this time to prepare for her competition.

“It was exciting to be so close, but also, it was nice to get a few more days off and refocus on training for the Olympics,” Gale said, “I think having that little bit of time off and continuing to train was a blessing.”

Taking this opportunity to represent her name, Colorado and her hometown of Ottawa, Canada, Gale is expected to take it to the finish line.

Unfortunately, international spectators are not allowed to travel to support the athletes and their countries, but NBC will broadcast an incredible 7,000 hours of Olympics coverage across its many broadcast, cable, internet and streaming channels during the course of the Games. Tune in for the start of the Summer 2021 Tokyo Olympics on July 23, while the first round of the Tokyo 2020 mixed relay event takes place in the Olympic Stadium July 30, with the final scheduled for the following day.

Karsyn Lane can be reached at sports@collegian.com or on Twitter @KarsynLane1.

About the Contributors

Karsyn Lane, Sports Director

Karsyn Lane is the fall 2022 sports director for The Collegian. She began working at The Collegian in the summer of 2021 as a sports reporter, followed by her promotion to sports editor in the fall of 2021. She is currently in the process of completing her fourth year at Colorado State University, continuing her passion for sports media through her journalism and media communication major and sport management minor. She began her studies at Colorado State University as a health and exercise science student in 2019 but immediately changed her mind, soon discovering she was ready to write for what she was passionate about: sports. As The Collegian's sports director, Lane is responsible for discovering the week's material, pitching the ideas to her reporters and collaborating with the sports editor to prepare the stories for the copy desk professionals. Since joining The Collegian, she occasionally has had the chance to return to her roots and cover CSU sports and have her work appear on the sports desk, capturing the intense emotion of sporting events on paper and building her journalistic portfolio. Lane has covered a magnitude of sporting events, including season-opening games and rival matchups, and notably traveled for the 2021 Mountain West Conference men's and women's basketball championships. As she finishes her last year at Colorado State, Lane is most excited to leave behind her legacy as a female sports reporter contributing to the history of The Collegian, just as some of her role models have done before her.

Lucy Morantz, Co-Photo Director

Lucy Morantz is a fourth-year journalism and political science student minoring in legal studies. She is one of the two photo directors for the fall 2022 semester. Growing up with parents who met working as journalists, media has been an ever-present component of Morantz’s life, and this is ultimately what inspired her to pursue a degree and career in journalism. She had always been pulled toward career paths that provided a creative outlet; photojournalism and The Collegian have allowed her to do precisely that while simultaneously fostering her passions and gaining meaningful career experience. Throughout her college years, Morantz has worked with The Collegian every year. Growing up with the publication this way has given her a unique perspective on all the ways student media has helped students achieve their post-graduation goals, making her excited to see what her own career path with lead to. Additionally, the opportunity to collaborate with so many other student journalists to create a final product will be her most valued takeaway from her time at Colorado State University. Beyond her role at The Collegian, Morantz is also a College of Liberal Arts student ambassador and has interned with various political organizations. Outside the newsroom and classroom, Morantz can most likely be found paddle boarding at Horsetooth Reservoir, strolling through Old Town with friends or curating a new hyper-specific playlist to match her many moods.

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