Follow #OurAthletes: Jen Kish's road to Rio

Over the past few months, athletes from across Canadaand the worldhave been gearing up to competein the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Using the #OurAthletes hashtag, CBC News paired up with competitors to give Canadians a behind-the-scenes look at the competition, training and day-to-day life, both leading up to and during the games.

Jennifer Kish

Born: July 7,1988

Age:27

Birthplace:Ottawa, Ont.

Hometown:Edmonton, Alta.

For Jennifer Kish, the road to the Rio Olympics started 12 years ago on a dusty football field in south Edmonton.

Long before she was captain of Canada's women's rugby Sevens squad, Kish was playing varsity football at W.P. Wagner High School.

"I started playing bantam at a very young age, and I actually played one year with my brother in high school."

During the four years on the squad, she was the only girl, but she didn't shy away from the defensive line.

She played safety, tackling classmates twice her size.

"The guys, they were great and they didn't hold back because I was a female, so my contact skills had to be up there if I wanted to compete," said Kish, 27.

"But at one point they're going to outgrow you."

It was then that her coach took her aside, and suggested she give rugby a try.

She was a natural.

"I had four years of football behind me. I was a safety, I was a defensive player so I think that helped me transition into rugby.

"And obviously I was playing with girlsand not boys at that point and with much less equipmentand I think was football was the greatest sport to make that transition."

When she made the provincial team, national scouts were watching from the stands. Within the year, she was recruited for Canada's U-19 Team.

"It all just happened to so quickly within a year ... and that's when I went OK, this is something I can do long term, and I guess I'm pretty good at it."

She hasn't stopped playing since.

She opened her Rugby Canada career with the Women's Fifteens Team, going to three Nations Cups as well as the 2010 Women's Rugby World Cup.

Kish, along with the rest of the Canadian squad, claimed the final Sevens Series title of the year in Clermont-Ferrand and finished the season tied with England for third place overall, clinching their place in Rio.

Winning gold in Brazil has been the ultimate goal for the team since they began training full-time back in 2011.

And as the team prepares for their Olympic debut, Kish has no doubt that a gold medalis within reach.

"It's prettyphenomenalthat we came away with a series win in France. It gave us a huge confidence boost," said Kish.

"The vibe on the teamis quite postive."

Follow Kishand her Olympic adventure atFacebook, or ontwitter at@jen_kish