Winnipeg Olympian Chantal Van Landeghem gets $50K boost to train for games

A Winnipeg Olympian who's studying to finish two degrees was awarded a $50,000 bursary on Wednesday to help her train.

Coming off a massive win at the 2015 Pan Am Games, swimmer Chantal Van Landeghem will get $10,000 from the Hudson Bay Company every year for the next five years.

"My first feeling was just one of gratitude because as a high-performance athlete, it's so hard to try to even have a part-time job. There's really just no time at all," said Van Landeghem. "It's definitely going to be put to good use."

Van Landeghem, who is 22, has been finishing two degrees at the University of Georgia but took this year off to train in Toronto for the Rio Olympics in August.

"The hard part was making the team. Olympic trials that was the most stressful and most nervous I've ever been in my entire life," she said. "Now, whenever I think about it, I just get this huge smile across my face. I mean, it's going to be the opportunity of a lifetime and I can't wait to go there and just absorb it all."

• Rio Olympics tickets are 67 per cent sold: organizers
• Take an aerial view of Rio 100 days before the Olympics

HBC is spending $2.5 million over five years on training CanadianOlympic hopefuls.

Van Landeghem will get a yearly bursary to help cover the costs of her Olympic training, including costs of international competitions, sport science support, daily training, new equipment, coaching and nutrition.

"I've been lucky enough up until I was 18 I lived at home. After that, for the past three years, I've been at the University of Georgia," said Van Landeghem. "It adds up, and it's a lot."

After the Olympics in August, she plans to finish her final year of two degrees in psychology and cognitive science at the University of Georgia.

The other athletes getting HBC Athlete Bursaries beginning in 2016 include:

• Jennifer Abel, Diving
• Meghan Agosta, Ice Hockey
• Heather Bansley, Beach Volleyball
• Khamica Bingham, Athletics
• Melissa Bishop, Athletics
• Ellie Black, Artistic Gymnastics
• Ivanie Blondin, Long Track Speed Skating
• Jamie Broder, Beach Volleyball
• Mandy Bujold, Boxing
• Karol-Ann Canuel, Road Cycling
• Ryan Cochrane, Swimming
• Nicolas Constantin-Bicari, Water Polo
• Dustin Cook, Alpine Skiing
• Charle Cournoyer, Short Track Speed Skating
• Simon d'Artois, Freestyle Skiing - Halfpipe
• Justine Dufour-Lapointe, Freestyle Skiing - Moguls
• Philippe Gagn, Diving
• Travis Gerrits, Freestyle Skiing - Aerials
• Samuel Girard, Short Track Speed Skating
• Magali Harvey, Rugby
• Taylor Henrich, Ski Jumping
• Gilmore Junio, Long Track Speed Skating
• Mikal Kingsbury, Freestyle Skiing - Moguls
• Melissa Lotholz, Bobsleigh
• Conlin McCabe, Rowing
• Kimberley McRae, Luge
• Erin Mielzynski, Alpine Skiing
• Christabel Nettey, Athletics
• Nam Nguyen, Figure Skating
• Emily Overholt, Swimming
• Joseph Polossifakis, Fencing
• Taylor Ruck, Swimming
• Ben Russell, Canoe/Kayak Sprint
• Matthew Sarmento, Field Hockey
• Chaim Schalk, Beach Volleyball
• Kelsey Serwa, Ski Cross
• Darcy Sharpe, Snowboard
• Jacqueline Simoneau, Synchronized Swimming
• Cameron Smedley, Canoe/Kayak Slalom
• Nathan Smith, Biathlon
• Kirsten Sweetland, Triathlon
• Marielle Thompson, Ski Cross
• Benjamin Thorne, Athletics
• Yuki Tsubota, Freestyle Skiing - Slopestyle
• Antoine Valois-Fortier, Judo
• Elisabeth Vathje, Skeleton
• Rudy Verhoeff, Volleyball
• Erica Wiebe, Wrestling
• Carling Zeeman, Rowing

Follow@CBCOlympicson Twitter for all your Olympic updates, news and video.