O’Connell is one of 65 athletes nominated to represent Team Canada in track and field events at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games from August 5-21. She will join fellow WVU graduate and former roommate Sarah Anne-Brault on Team Canada, as Brault earned a spot in the triathtlon on June 29.
At the Canadian Olympic Trials on July 7, O’Connell placed third out of 17 runners in the 5,000-meter run with a time of 16:00.90, just 0.48 seconds shy of winning the race. Andrea Seccafien won, crossing the finish line in 16:00.42, and Sasha Gollish took second with a time of 16:00.