“It isn’t going to feel real until I walk into the village and see the Olympic rings.”
When speaking to Eric Peters (BSc ’22) days before his first Olympic event, he appears calm and focused. After over a decade of training, practicing and competing in archery, he’s feeling ready to make his Olympic debut at the Summer Games.
“Coming here, knowing that I’m representing Canada, and all that hard work that I’ve put in over many, many years ... it just feels really good,” he said with a smile. “It’s a bit of a relief. I’m a little anxious and excited ... lots of feelings.”
Peters grew up in Ottawa, Ontario, but has been living in Kitchener since he attended the University of Waterloo. His archery career took off while he was a student in the Faculty of Science and Eric says he’s grateful for the supportive professors who helped make it possible for him to live out his dreams, while keeping up with his studies.
“I remember I wrote a quantum mechanics exam in Dr. Nooijen’s office because I had to jump on a plane right after and go to another country for an event.”