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Former Iowa State women’s basketball star Bridget Carleton and her Team Canada teammates made a big sacrifice during the last Olympic games in Tokyo. With a game looming early the next day, the team decided to pass on attending the opening ceremonies so they could properly prepare for the important contest.
“That would have been really cool,” Carleton said in a phone interview with the Register. “Hopefully we go in Paris.”
Carleton could get that shot this time around. The ex-Cyclones star will once again represent Canada in the Olympics during the 2024 games in Paris. Women’s basketball starts July 28. It’s the second Olympic experience for Carleton, who was part of the Tokyo Games that took place in 2021.
“I’m so excited,” she said. “I know you know from my first day at Iowa State, it was well known how much I loved playing for Team Canada and that was a No. 1 goal of mine in my basketball career.”
The goal was clear to everyone long before Carleton even stepped foot on campus in Ames. Carleton, a native of Chatham, Ontario, had already become a mainstay on Team Canada teams over the years after making her debut in the 2013 FIBA Americas U16 Championship for Women.
But Carleton had bigger dreams. She wanted to play in the Olympics for Canada. Carleton talked about it with teammates, coaches and media members.
Iowa State coach Bill Fennelly understood how important it was to Carleton. So he did whatever he could to make that happen, often giving her time off during the summers in Ames to work out, train or play for Canada Basketball so she could get more experience and build her resume to hopefully one day play in the Olympics.
“We were very coordinated with them throughout Bridget’s career about her process,” Fennelly said.
Carleton went on to become an important part of Canada Basketball over the years and captained the country’s FIBA U19 Women’s World Championship in 2015. She also was a member of Canada’s gold medal-winning team at the FIBA Americup in 2017 and played in the FBIA Women’s Basketball World Cup in 22018.
Carleton then took her biggest step toward playing in the Olympics by appearing in two exhibition games for the Senior Women’s National Team in Spain the following summer. Meanwhile, she became one of the biggest stars in Iowa State history, tallying 2,142 career points and earning Big 12 Conference Player of the Year honors as a senior.
Fennelly said: “One of the things I like to tell players is successful people that I’ve been around, they’re willing and they’re able and I think Bridget always knew she had the ability but she was willing to do the hard stuff.”
The work never stopped, even after Carleton left Iowa State. She was selected in the second round of the WNBA Draft by the Connecticut Sun and appeared in four games before being released. She latched on with the Minnesota Lynx and has become a mainstay with the team.
It was during her time with the Lynx that Carleton earned a spot on Canada’s Olympic roster for the 2020 Games in Tokyo. That event got postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Carleton was a productive player in the 2021 Olympics, averaging a team-high six rebounds and 3.3 assists per game in Canada’s three games.
Fennelly had told Carleton he planned to watch the Olympics that year, knowing she likely would be on the roster. But he had to watch from afar. It was still rewarding to see her on the floor.
“It really is cool to see someone really do live out their dream,” Fennelly said.
After reaching the Olympics once, Carleton quickly turned her attention to making another appearance. Things have changed drastically. Carleton now has lots of experience in the international game. She’s likely to be a key contributor for Canada.
In February, she averaged 11 points, seven rebounds and 2.7 assists for Canada during the FIBA Women’s Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Sopron, Hungary. Carleton is a starter for the Lynx and one of the team’s top players.
“I’m hoping to ride that wave into Paris,” Carleton said. “I think I’m shooting the ball really well right now, I’m defending at a high level and I have all the confidence in the world that that will translate at the Olympic level as well.”
Carleton hopes that leads to team success and Canada reaching the podium. Even if the team falls short, it likely won’t be the last time she suits up for her country in the Olympics. Her goal of playing in the Olympics has evolved.
“I definitely want to go to multiple now,” she said.
Tommy Birch, the Register’s sports enterprise and features reporter, has been working at the newspaper since 2008. He’s the 2018, 2020 and 2023 Iowa Sportswriter of the Year. Reach him at [email protected] or 515-284-8468.
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