Conor Trainor, Men's Rugby, Tokyo Olympics

Mustang to Olympian: Alumni Conor Trainor Represents Team Canada in Men's Rugby 7s Event

7/25/2021 12:30:00 PM

London, ON - With the Olympic Games officially underway, the Western Mustangs are so purple and proud to be able to showcase some of our alumni, coaches and officials who are competing in Tokyo 2020 (held in 2021). Conor Trainer graduated from Western in 2013 with a Bachelor of Engineering in Civil & Environmental Engineering, and will be representing Team Canada as a part of the Men's Rugby 7's team. He was a member of the Varsity Men's Rugby team from 2008-2013. We spoke to Trainor, and he provided insight into how his experiences both in and outside of Western prepared him for all that comes with being an Olympian.

Conor Trainor

"I think that all my experiences in life up until this point have contributed to me making it to the Olympics, and Western was a huge part of my life, so it helped a huge amount. I started with the national team in my second year at Western, so learning how to be an elite level athlete, while still finishing my degree prepared me for my career. Managing stress makes up a big portion of my life, and my time at Western helped me cultivate that skill." Trainor said.

While managing stress was a crucial part to Trainor's success thus far, he is also a well-rounded athlete with more than just Rugby experience. In addition to playing on the Mustangs Men's Rugby team for the duration of his undergrad, Trainor also spent one year on the Mustangs Track & Field team as a sprinter. Developing his skills in different realms of athletics is what Trainor believes to be one of his strengths as a great athlete, stating "I think being a multi-sport athlete when you are young is one of the best ways to become an elite athlete. I played everything I could growing up and have brought many aspects of other sports into my game. Winning kickoffs is a huge part of rugby and the skills gained from boxing out and rebounding in basketball play a huge role. I also have a pretty good highlight of kicking a poor pass out of the air up into my hand, so soccer skills play a part too."

Conor Trainor 2

All, if not most athletes have at least one coach that has made a significant impact on them. For Trainor, this individual is his high school coach Bill Chamberlain. Trainor described Chamberlain as "someone I look to as a role model. He was never the most gifted athlete, but the amount of passion he showed for competition really ignited the same in me during my formative years as an aspiring athlete. I might not win, but it will never be for lack of trying" Trainor said.

This message, promoting passion and 100% effort every time one competes, is something that could be used to describe Trainor's role models in sport. "In terms of Canadian Olympic athletes, I really look up to Simon Whitfield. He has done extremely well at the Olympics, but his finish at the 2008 Olympics really stands out. I'd suggest watching it on YouTube if you haven't already," Trainor added. "He looked to be out of medal contention but managed to pass everyone to gain the lead, and eventually come second in the last moments of the race. Being able to find that extra energy is something I hope to replicate in the coming weeks. Another great one for an 'Olympic Moment' is Derek Redmond with Great Britain. He injured himself during his event and came dead last, but to finish the event showed how much the Olympics and his career meant to him. That really resonates with me" Trainor said.

Conor Trainor 3

After it's postponement in 2020, everyone has been anxiously awaiting for the Tokyo Olympics to arrive; fans and athletes alike. However, it can be argued that for first-time qualifiers like Trainor, being able to finally compete is even more special, especially after the journey to get to this point. "My team and I missed qualification in 2016 when Rugby was first introduced to the Olympics, so this will be my first Olympics. I left Rugby Sevens to play professionally in France after 2016, so I wasn't there when the team qualified. I ended up breaking my contract in France early to come back and try to make the team in the beginning of 2020. Although it took a year longer than I thought it would, I am very happy with my decision" Trainor said.

He also shared with us what he's looking forward to most, saying "I can't wait to begin competition. Covid has made a mess of everything outside of that, but the events will be the exact same as always and I am very fired up to start!"

The Men's Rugby competition is set to begin today at the Tokyo Olympics, and Team Canada will face off against Great Britain in their first match. Games continue throughout the week up until the medal events, which will beheld on Wednesday July 28.

Trainor and his team have been working hard to not only prepare for the game itself, but to adjust to the differing weather conditions. He said "aside from our normal weekly training schedule, we have added in a couple things to help us adjust to Japan. Because of Covid, we are unable to travel to the Olympic Village until two days before our competition starts, so we have had to do our sleep and heat acclimatization in Canada. After our field session, we do half of our gym workout normally, and then do the next forty minutes in a heat tent at 45 degrees with decently high humidity. From there we immediately go into the hot tub for passive acclimatization. In all we lose 3-4kg in an hour and a half which is wild! It is definitely getting easier though."

Rugby Team Canada 2020/2021 - Conor Trainor, 1st row, 2nd from the right

Rugby Team Canada 2020/2021 - Conor Trainor, 1st row, 2nd from the right

Photo: Canadian Olympics Men's Rugby 7s team; Conor Trainor, 1st Row, 2nd from the Right.

Another aspect outside of the game that his team had to make adjustments for is the change in time zone. "For sleep acclimatization, we slowly moved our sleep and wake times back. Right now our team is going to bed at 6am and waking up at 2pm. We don't have time to adjust for jet lag before the competition starts, so hopefully the work we've done now will really help." Trainor said.

We also asked Trainor about his pre- and post-competitions routines; and he said he's made an effort to focus on what's best for his body, rather than a strict routine, saying "I've made a point of not having any sort of superstitious routines pre-game, so it is always different. It is the Olympics, so I don't think I will have a problem getting up for the games! We play two high-intensity games a day over three days, which makes recovery very important. Ice baths, massage, and physio are huge, especially when there is only an hour or two between matches."

Once the preparations are complete, an athlete's focus is only on competing. Trainor shared what his favourite aspect of competing is, saying "I love competing and Rugby is just what I happened to be good enough to do at a high level. The thrill that comes with competing is what I search for every day. I don't think I can break it down into components, but I love competing at everything and anything."

Conor Trainor 4

Conor Trainor, Left

Trainor shared an important lesson he's learned throughout his time as a professional athlete. "Being selfish with your time is an especially important lesson, and I'm happy I learned it young. At the end of the day, you are responsible for your own decisions and if you let others sway that process you might have regrets. I make sure I do what I need to do to continue to play at a high level and then go from there. I don't fit my training around other parts of my life" Trainor said.

We are so Purple and Proud of Conor and can't wait to cheer him on in this Olympics. The Western Mustangs congratulate Conor Trainor on all his achievements thus far! We wish him and the rest of the members of the Men's Rugby 7's Team good luck, as they represent Team Canada in the Tokyo Olympics.

View the schedule in your local time zone at https://olympic.ca/tokyo-2020-olympic-schedule/.

Best of luck to all our Mustangs Olympic athletes, coaches and officials!

Stay Tuned as we continue to feature Mustangs who are competing at this summer's Tokyo Olympic Games!

Print Friendly Version