London, ON - Western Mustangs recent alumna, Kate Current, is headed to the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, France. She will represent Team Canada in the Women's 1500m.

Mustangs Cross Country Head Coach Guy Schultz will also be at the Games helping to coach Current, in what will be her first Olympic competition.
 
For Current, competing in the Olympics is a dream come true. "This has been my dream since I was a kid. I started my athletic career as a competitive gymnast and in high school transitioned to running. As I continued to progress within sport my goals slowly started to align with the expectation of making the Canadian national team. Being a part of the Olympic team is truly a dream come true and I am so grateful and honored to have this opportunity to represent my country".
 
A member of the Western Mustangs Cross Country and Track & Field teams while she was at Western, Current's achievement is a culmination of a lot of hard work, discipline, commitment and most importantly, it's all part of the plan - a plan that was put into place four years ago, at Western University, when she sat down with Mustangs Cross Country Head Coach, Guy Schultz.
 
"Four years ago, we [Guy and myself] sat down and wrote out "Kate's 4-Year Plan" - a summary of strengths, weaknesses, and season goals that we would work on over the next four years in the pursuit of the 2024 Olympic team. Making this team is the result of so many years of hard work not only from myself but from the team that supports me. It truly does take a village to make an Olympic team and I am so grateful to have had the best village supporting me throughout my career. I really hit the jackpot with the coaching and support staff at Western who allowed me to get to this point", said Current.
 
"I would like to acknowledge Guy's influence on my development as an athlete (and person) in particular. He has been my coach for the past 8 years and has been instrumental in shaping me into the athlete I am today, I wouldn't be here without him. It was Guy's dedication, support, and patience that led to my qualification and I'm really lucky to be going through this journey with him. He has been everything I needed in a coach, exactly when I needed it most", said Current.
 
Schultz is heading into his 11th season as the head coach for the Mustangs Cross Country team. In 2016, Schultz coached the Mustangs to their first Ontario University Athletics' (OUA) Championship in almost 30 years. The OUA Coach of the Year for Women's Cross Country 2023 believes in working with each athlete individually to get the best out of them. This past season Schultz once again led the Mustangs to win the OUA Provincial Cross Country Championship banner.
 
"We try to work with our student athletes individually as much as we can, as we're not a conventional team sport like soccer or basketball. But we also stress the team aspect of it to the athletes – since we're competing, training and winning or losing as a cross country team. So while our goal is to have them succeed individually, it is also to develop as a team and work to support each other. We work out together, but we look at adapting those workouts to individual needs. Every athlete sets their own individual goals within the team, and the coaching staff work with them on achieving those goals", said Schultz.
 
"I think our key to success is since we're working individually, we're using that time to help ensure they do all the little things, like eating properly, sleeping properly, making sure they get their schoolwork done. While they're getting their training done, we're helping to make sure they're taking care of the little things so they don't get injured", added Schultz.
 
A former runner himself, Schultz represented the Alabama Crimson Tide from 1987-92 in the 1500m and 3000m steeplechase. His experience as a student athlete helped him appreciate how he was coached and the importance of focusing on the individual. "I went to Alabama, and I enjoyed my experience. It taught me to treat everybody as an individual", said Schultz.
 
Current's desire to learn and Schultz' individualized approach were two important factors that helped her develop as an athlete.
 
"I would send Kate a program," said Schultz, "And she would call me and have a discussion of why that program is in place or why that workout is in place. And then sometimes we would make adjustments. We would work together to figure out the best way for her to succeed. Kate's journey was supported by a lot of great coaches within the Mustangs Cross Country team including Janet, Scott and Tammy who are the assistant coaches. They give a lot of their time to helping to ensure our Mustangs athletes have the best experience."
 
"But at the end of the day, Kate needs to take all the credit for her success," Schultz said proudly. "She is one of those athletes who did all the little things that you need to do to achieve greatness as an athlete – she put in the work and took care of herself physically and emotionally."
 
The Olympics are yet another international competition that Current can add to her growing list of championships, which includes the World Athletics Championships and the World Athletics Cross Country Championships.
 
"I've learned that no two championships are the same, and every race is an opportunity to learn something new," explained Current. "The World Championships, for example, was a huge learning opportunity for my athletic career. This was by far the biggest stage that I had ever competed in and against the toughest competition possible. It was one massive lesson on capitalizing on the energy of the environment and never counting myself out, not to mention managing nerves, distractions, and external pressure to compete on demand".
 
Ahead of the Olympics, Current's training has based in London, Ontario. "This year we really focused on building a big foundation throughout the fall and winter seasons so that I would be able to handle a heavy racing season in the summer to try and qualify for the Olympics. I raced a total of six 1500s in June, all within Canada, and five of those performances led to my qualification which goes to show the Canadian racing circuit works!"
 
Current's expectations for the Paris 2024 Olympic games are to continue to establish herself as a world class runner. "Last year at the 2023 World Championships I ran a massive personal best, and I would love to try to do that again this year!"
 
Schultz, who will be attending Paris to support Current as one of her individual coaches, just wants her to have a great experience. "I want her to have a chance to race well, achieve a personal best if possible, but also to learn to race in that kind of environment and just be proud that she made it to the Olympics", said Schultz.
 
Current's first race will take place on August 6, 2024 at the Stade de France Stadium, in Saint-Denis, France, and the Mustangs will be cheering her on in full force. Purple and proud already that she has made it this far.