Originally published in Lake of the Woods Area News, Volume 54, Number 5, Winter 2024
When Kenora-born and trained Olympian Abby Dent was asked what she remembers most about the final metres of the race that brought the Canadian team to a silver medal finish at the 2024 Olympics in Paris, she recalls, “It hurt!”
She adds, “But once it hurts that much, it can’t hurt much more. You might as well make the hurt worth it!” She also remembers the coxswain giving the team a heads up they were sprinting at 600 metres, shouting, “what colour of a medal do you want?” In Abby’s mind this meant ‘buckle up’. “We were shifting to a whole new level.”
The usual sprint call is around 300 metres, so 600 metres “was a long way to sprint,” said Abby. “It was pedal to the medal.” She shares that as the team rowed across the finish line, they weren’t sure how they had placed as it was so close.
“Then we saw Romania came in first and we got silver. I had this plan to do some big celebration, but I just started crying instead, which was the true emotion of the moment.”
Abby’s dad, Carlton Dent, shares that emotions were also high for him and Abby’s mom, Leanne, who were seated about 150 metres from the finish. “Just knowing everything she’s gone through, all the sacrifices she made to get there. We’ve watched her at many races and she’s always cheering and so excited, so this was quite a different reaction; we knew it was something special.”
While there was a lot of help along the way, Carlton credits Abby for the successes she’s achieved. “She kind of did it herself. She willingly woke up at 5 a.m. on summer holidays. We never had to convince her she had to go.”
Carlton talks about Abby’s deep humility but also her resilience and commitment, always having her eyes on the end goal. “She’s had hard days, mentally challenging times, but she knew this is what she wanted.”
Early on, Abby, her parents, and coaches identified how important all aspects of her physical and mental health were going to be. “Before the Canada Summer Games in 2017, I started working with a Sport Psychologist and that was the biggest factor that drove me to the Olympics,” she said. “That winter around Christmas time, I began writing down my goals. I always had the dream of going to the Olympics, maybe for hockey or volleyball, but once I rationalized it, it seemed attainable for rowing, so I drew up a timeline of what that would look like, and the hurdles I would have to overcome.”
Highlights that Abby identifies in her journey to the Olympics include making the single boat for the Canadian Junior Championships in 2017. “It was the first moment I realized I could move up the ladder onto the senior team.” Getting a rowing scholarship for the University of Michigan was another stepping stone, providing a bigger squad and more dedicated training.
Always goal-oriented, Abby was determined to see how many ERG* records she could break before leaving for the Olympics. She broke 10 of them and set one new world record for the 2,000-meter ERG on slides on test.
Victory is sweet for Abby Dent and the 2024 Canadian Olympic silver medal rowing team.
Support along the way
For Abby, the role of the Kenora Rowing Club can’t be overstated. “They probably played the biggest role of all,’ she said. “Without Tim and the whole club reaching out, there’s no way I would have found the sport of rowing.”
Carlton shares these sentiments. “Just the fact they were there; if we didn’t have a rowing club here in Kenora, this never would have happened.” He gives special mention to Tim Wehner – A club volunteer who went to the local high schools to introduce the sport. “While Abby also trained out of Winnipeg, we owe so much to Kenora and the volunteers that take time out of their lives to get kids interested in the sport.”
He adds, “Hopefully the club flourishes and there’s another generation of rowers that comes through.”
Abby also credits Ashleigh Milani, her first coach. “Seeing who I was and believing in me from day one, she was one of my biggest supporters along the journey and has always been there for me no matter what.”
Ashleigh admits she was too nervous to even watch the Olympic race live. “I watched it on the news afterwards,” she laughs. “I was filled with immense pride and joy as any coach is for their former athletes.”
She recalls how Abby’s mom approached her early on asking if the sport was “legit” and if she thought Abby had a future in it. “I responded that Abby had the strength and size and that it comes down to mental stamina. There’s those gruelling early mornings, training your butt off and you’ll do that for a long time and maybe get an opportunity to showcase what you have done.” Ashleigh applauds Abby and her parents for seeing the importance of having the mental fortitude to see it through.
“During a race when your body is screaming at you to stop you have to push on. Abby’s a very determined young woman and I’m so proud of her.”
Abby was also coached by Janine Stephens, of the Manitoba Rowing Association, who won a silver medal for rowing in the 2012 Olympic Games in London. Janine agrees with Ashleigh about the power of Abby’s strength and dedication.
“Lots of high school athletes don’t make that commitment or find lots of excuses,” she said. “Abby had a belief in what was possible and worked towards that right from the start. The commitment required is tremendous. Your work is never done in rowing. As you get better, your expectations change, and there’s always something more to work towards.”
Abby with her proud parents, Leanne Redden and Carlton Dent, poses for a photo in front of “Abby Rowed”, the boat dedicated by the Kenora Rowing Club to recognize her as an Olympic Champion.
While MP Andrew Melillo admits he usually found his way into the water while rowing, he commended Abby for an accomplishment that has brought the community together.
Big strokes for the win
Both Stephens and Milani, along with members of the Kenora Rowing Club, were thrilled that Abby was in the stroke seat for the Olympic competition. This is considered the most important position in the boat, because the stroke seat rower sets the stroke rate and rhythm for the rest of the crew to follow.
Abby was first put into the seat at the World Rowing Cup in April 2024, when the stroke rower on the Canadian team became ill. The team won Gold.
“That was incredible in and of itself,” said Janine. “We knew they were on the right track for training and performance.”
Peter Harland, President of Kenora Rowing Club, agrees. “It was such a wonderful moment to see the Canadians take off and win the gold. It was apparent this was a good combination.” He knew this boded well for Abby for the Olympics. “Four other women who had rowed in the Olympics in Tokyo were on that boat in Paris. There must have been something very special that the coaches saw in Abby.”
Abby downplays this, saying that “every seat is just as important as the other.” Instead, she credits her “underdog young energy”.
“I had the mentality that I had nothing to lose so I was just going for it. Why not sprint at 600 metres? It was a ‘youthful’ sprint!” she laughs. Another benefit she feels may have been her inexperience. “Other teams had strokes that had been in previous Olympics; no one knew who I was so didn’t know what to expect.”
Janine points out that the Olympic win has brought Abby full circle. “She won her first medal at the Canada Games on August 3, 2017, and won another medal at the Olympics seven years later on the same day.”
A promising example
Abby’s trajectory to the 2024 Olympics and her outstanding performance is inspiring other young athletes.
Marissa Tomkins and Emma Thiessen are both first year rowers at the Kenora club.
“She showed us as juniors that it is possible, especially from here, such a small club,” said Marissa.
While both talked about how rowing is physically challenging, they also credit Abby for the “mental mindset” it takes to push through to victory.
“I can’t imagine what she had to go through,” said Emma. “Not just pushing through for herself, but for everyone, your team, and your country.
Both aspire to going further in the sport and say that Abby and the community support have made them see that anything is possible.
Bringing it all home
Peter and Jen Cano, the club vice-president, were up in the early hours to watch Canada’s stunning finish.
Jen said seeing Abby’s row to a silver medal finish was surreal. “We’re known as this little club without much funding for staffing and coaching and we started this amazing high-performance athlete.”
Peter comments on the “leadership and strength” that shone through with Abby in the stroke seat. “You look at her when she’s rowing, and the style and position are perfect.”
The club had an amazing season, which both say may have been thanks to Abby’s shining example. “Last year we had one person from Kenora competing in our Regatta and this year we had 13.” Jen is referring to the North West International Rowing Association Regatta, held annually at Rabbit Lake.
The club co-hosted a reception with the City of Kenora to honour Abby in September. It was well attended with people of all ages lining up for autographs and a chance to chat with Abby and get their hands on her silver medal. The club christened one of the singles that Abby trained in as “Abby Rowed”. The city is also recognizing Abby as a symbol of dedication and excellence with the naming of “Abby Dent Row” in Rabbit Lake.
What’s up next?
Abby will be finishing her degree in Economics and Entrepreneurship in 2025. She plans to continue racing during her senior year with the University of Michigan team. “I’m super excited for this season as we have a very strong team and believe that we have a chance at winning national championships.”
After that, she plans to return to Kenora to take over the family business and coach at the Kenora Rowing Club. “I really want to thank the club for their unconditional support,” she said. “I’m excited to come home and give back.”
As for another Olympics? “We will see if LA 2028 is in the cards and what life holds!”
And the biggest lesson she’s taken from all of this?
“Believing in yourself—even when you don’t want to. People are with you and supporting you but the only person who can make you want to do the work the best you can is you.
“There’s lots of self-talk; you can do it and if you can’t, you need to find the way that works and lets you get the job done.”
*ERG scores essentially represent your performance level and can be a valuable tool for both athletes and coaches. The primary metric used in ERG scores is the time it takes you to row a set distance, typically 2,000 metres, on a rowing machine.
