P.E.I. wrestler Hannah Taylor looks back on time at Olympics with pride

P.E.I. freestyle wrestler Hannah Taylor didn't win a medal at the Olympics in Paris. She says that's OK.

After a few weeks of reflection, Taylor is feeling overwhelmingly grateful for the whole experience.

"I think the negative parts of the experience, of not getting the results I wanted, started to fade," she told CBC P.E.I. Mainstreet host Matt Rainnie. "Looking back, I am an Olympian now. I did live out my childhood dream of stepping on the biggest stage."

Taylor lost her first match in the 57-kilogram weight class to three-time world champion Tsugumi Sakurai of Japan, which took her out of contention for the gold medal.

But she won her match in the repechage to earn a chance at the bronze medal. She lost to Helen Maroulis of the U.S. for the medal.   

"In the end, three matches is a great thing on the Olympic stage," Taylor said. "And facing the No. 1, No. 8 and No. 2 wrestlers in the world as an unranked wrestler was a great experience."

As the 2024 Olympics become a memory for the athletes who competed, Taylor said it can't be compared to other competitions she's been in like the Commonwealth Games or Canada Games.

"The Olympics is such a grand spectacle that it's hard to even put into words how special and unique that opportunity was," she said.

The outcome disappointed her initially, but now says she's looking back at her time in Paris through a different lens.

"At the end of the day, I'm not only an Olympian, but I'm top-five in the world. And that's pretty friggen cool," she wrote in a recent social media post.

Taylor said she always pictured herself as an Olympian and never doubted she would get there.

She said she prepared in advance for the possibility of feeling down after the competition.

"A lot of Olympic