Madsen will be continuing her academic and athletic career at the University of McMaster this fall. "Once I decided that I wanted to stay in Canada, I also knew that I really wanted to leave British Columbia and discover a new part of the country. This narrowed my search down to Ontario. I was very impressed with McMaster's running legacy and in particular with Paula Schnurr as a coach. I took a visit and immediately felt at home and comfortable with the Marauder team members that I met and the coach. I knew it was where I wanted to spend the next 4-5 years."
After a great 2023 track and field season in which she became the BC High School Track And Field Champion in the steeplechase and competed for Team BC at the U20 Bell Canadian Track and Field Championships where she took the bronze in the steeplechase, Madsen has her sights set on some big goals for the upcoming season.
"In U SPORTS I will be racing 8km for cross country which is almost double what I raced in high school. Nevertheless, I am super excited and my goal is to qualify and race in both U SPORTS XC and the Indoor Track Championships."
With that, Madsen leaves us with some parting words.
"As a female athlete who has competed in competitive sports my entire life, I think it's crucial for young female athletes to be better educated on how to persevere through puberty. If I could give one piece of advice to my younger self it would be to be kind to myself and to make sure I have a good support network of people that I can count on. I would also tell my younger self that it is okay to give my body a break when it is not performing at the level I want it to and to persevere, because without the hardest moments, all of the successes will not mean as much."