December 24, 2024
By Ryan Flaherty for Sask Sport, Canadian Sport Centre Saskatchewan
When 2024 began, competing at the Paris Olympics seemed like nothing more than a fantasy for Margo Erlam. In fact, she thought she might be done with diving entirely.
Despite a resume that includes a Commonwealth Games bronze medal and multiple FINA Grand Prix podiums, Erlam found herself struggling to find the motivation to continue.
“I was ready to just call it a day with diving, hang up my bathing suit and say goodbye to the sport. I was not enjoying myself, I was not performing well,” she said. “I was just exhausted from everything.”
It was ultimately Erlam’s family who convinced her not to call it quits, urging her to stick it out until the Olympic Trials in May. While they would support her no matter what, she says, they also didn’t want her to face the regret of missing an opportunity to accomplish a childhood dream.
By merely considering retirement, Erlam also unwittingly released an internal pressure valve and she took a different mindset into the Trials.
“I was like, ‘I’m retiring after this, whether I make it or not, I don’t care. I’m going to be done after this, I’m just going to enjoy this last competition that I have,’ so my mindset was just, ‘Give it your all, this is going to be your last chance,’” she explained.
The approach paid off as Erlam went on to win her spot on Team Canada and made her Olympic debut in Paris, placing 22nd in the women’s three-metre springboard event. While her events didn’t take place until late in the Games, she was there for the duration, soaking up the atmosphere in the Olympic Village in between bouts of pinching herself.
“I got to see Simone Biles walking around the Village. Seeing all those athletes was absolutely insane. I was just star-struck, a wide-eyed kid walking around in this Village. It was super, super cool,” she said.
Now as 2024 draws to a close, Erlam is still coming to grips with her rollercoaster year, which was capped off by her selection as Saskatchewan’s winner of the Tom Longboat Award, which recognizes Canada’s top Indigenous athletes.
“It’s such an amazing thing for diving especially, for the sport of diving to have somebody that’s Indigenous that’s in the Olympics and wins these awards. We’re getting more recognition for the sport and for Indigenous people. I’m very privileged to be able to do this,” she said.
Erlam joins a group of Tom Longboat Award winners from Saskatchewan that includes Michael Linklater, Jocelyne Laroque and Chief Tony Cote.
“It means so much to have the support from the Indigenous community and the Indigenous athletes that are also represented. It was such a cool moment to share this with like- minded athletes,” she said. “It’s got me inspired to be more invested in where I come
from.”
After a post-Olympic break, Erlam is preparing to resume training in the new year. And with a fresh perspective on pressure and motivation, she’s eager to see what she can accomplish next. The 2028 Olympic Games are well off in the distance, but there are plenty of goals to pursue in the meantime.
“World medals, world finals, these are the things that [my coach and I] want to hone in on, something that’s not this massive thing that’s going to happen in four years,” she said.
And if she does get another chance to chase that childhood dream, you can best believe that she will, just with a different approach.
“We’re going to let whatever happens, happen.”
Retirement will have to wait.