OTTAWA – Two-time Olympian Martha McCabe was encouraged by a new wave of up-and-coming athletes across the country.

The 27-year-old wrapped up Martha’s Canadian Drive on September 21, travelling from Victoria, B.C. to St. John’s, Nfld. over 34 days.

During her drive, the breaststroke specialist offered stroke clinics and motivational talks to over 3000 participants, visiting 45 groups in 55 cities.

McCabe was more than pleased with the terrific engagement she received.

“The drive has been unbelievable,” she said. “The support from the swim clubs across Canada has been great, and I really hope that all this support and all my efforts have made a difference… for girls and people in all avenues of life.

“We have such a gorgeous country and Canadians are incredibly gracious.”

McCabe also thanked several organizations who sponsored her throughout her travels, one of those being Fuelling Women Champions. A subset of Dairy Farmers of Canada, the organization offers financial support to female athletes of all levels and abilities throughout their athletic endeavors. Given that only 41% of girls aged 3-17 participate in sport, Fuelling Women Champions aim to inspire young women to stay physically active in the long term through role models like McCabe.

Riding off of Canada’s success of the Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games, it is hard not to be excited about what the future has in store for our athletes.

McCabe had one last piece of advice to offer those who were inspired by the events that happened this summer:

“When you figure out what it is that you’re good at and what it is that you love; if you just commit some serious work to it, you can achieve amazing things.

“There has never been a time that I’ve been more proud to be Canadian than now.”