Plenty of people with Nova Scotia connections to cheer for at the Olympics

The Olympics are in full swing and there are plenty of people with Nova Scotia connections to cheer for in Tokyo.

“Whether they're born here, whether they're trained here, whether their coaches are from here, we're very excited that we're touching about 70 different athletes here,” said Ken Bagnell, the CEO of Canadian Sport Centre Atlantic.

“There's 10 from Nova Scotia who train here and there's a few others like Sydney Pickrem, who is going to be swimming tonight, who has roots in Halifax but has lived elsewhere for most of her life.”

Overnight, Canada captured its first Olympic medal ever in softball, beating Mexico 3-2 for bronze. The team is led by head coach Mark Smith of Falmouth.

We also have Halifax gymnast Ellie Black, who is competing in her third Olympic games.

“She's such a great ambassador in a sport where we've never had a female Olympian in the past,” Bagnall told NEWS 95.7 fill-in host Todd Veinotte. “She's been a star and doing a great job in Tokyo. She's qualified for the all-around final, as well as the beam final, which will be later on this week.”

There are several Haligonians on Canada's canoe/kayak team, some who were born here, others who moved here for training, including Mark de Jonge, Michelle Russell and Connor Fitzpatrick. 

Nova Scotia representation is also traditionally strong in sailing, which this year includes Chester's Jacob Saunders and Oliver Bone, who now calls Halifax home.

“But we also have a boxer from Kennetcook (Wyatt Sanford), an equestrian athlete from New Glasgow (Brittany Fraser-Beaulieu) and Sarah Mitton from Brooklyn in shot put, so it's a pretty wide range of sports that we have athletes representing, not only Canada but Nova Scotia,” Bagnall said.