Practice to Podium: Miki Rowbottom

Embracing Two Cultures. Chasing One Dream.

Some wrestling journeys begin in a wrestling room. Miki Rowbottom's began on playgrounds across Tokyo, where every afternoon a neighbourhood bell would ring at 5 p.m., signalling it was time for children to head home.

Until that bell sounded, Miki was outside playing.

Baseball. Soccer. Tag. Whatever game the neighbourhood kids could imagine.

Born in New Westminster, British Columbia, Miki moved to Tokyo, Japan when she was only a few months old. With a Canadian father and a Japanese mother, she grew up immersed in two cultures that would both shape the athlete and person she would become.

Sport became her language from the very beginning.

She stepped into full-contact karate at just three years old before adding baseball, volleyball, basketball, and soccer to her athletic resume. Being the only girl on her baseball team never seemed unusual. Most of the athletes around her were boys, and competing alongside them simply became normal.

That mindset would later prepare her for wrestling.

When Miki moved back to Maple Ridge, British Columbia during Grade 10, wrestling wasn't even on her radar. Soccer was her priority, and basketball occupied the winter months—until scheduling conflicts forced a decision.

Basketball practices clashed with club soccer.

Wrestling fit the schedule.

Sometimes the biggest moments in life happen completely by accident.

She joined the wrestling team at Maple Ridge Secondary School at 17 years old under coach Bill McCrae. Her father had wrestled at SFU, as had Coach McCrae, creating an instant connection between the families.

Ironically, Miki didn't enjoy wrestling at first.

But there was something about it that stayed with her.

"The more I trained, the more I found myself thinking about it."

Coach McCrae's belief in her made all the difference. His encouragement kept her coming back until wrestling slowly transformed from an activity into a passion.

She also credits Livvy and Payten, two female wrestlers who helped establish a foundation for girls wrestling at Maple Ridge Secondary.

"They paved the way for myself and so many other girls."

Only a year and a half after first stepping onto the mat, Miki knew she wanted to compete at the university level.

She initially committed to the University of Regina before the wrestling program was unexpectedly cut. Rather than allowing disappointment to derail her dream, she found a new opportunity at the University of Calgary.

There, she pursued one of the most demanding academic paths possible—Electrical Engineering—while balancing varsity wrestling and working as a Residence Advisor.

Engineering. Employment. Elite wrestling.

The workload was relentless, but it forged habits that would define her future.

Discipline.

Resilience.

Time management.

In 2023, she graduated with her Electrical Engineering degree, proving that excellence in the classroom and on the wrestling mat could coexist.

Her wrestling career continued to rise.

She earned a bronze medal at the 2023 U SPORTS Championships before breaking through in 2024 as Canada's Senior National Champion.

In 2025, another dream became reality when she earned her place on Canada's Senior World Team.

Along the way, she also represented Canada internationally as a 2021 U23 World Team member while collecting three Pan American Championship silver medals and one bronze.

But success hasn't only been measured by medals.

The summer of 2024 brought Miki back home to Maple Ridge, where she coached alongside Ryan Hicks at the BC Summer Games.

Standing mat-side instead of competing became a full-circle moment.

For the first time, she discovered how rewarding it was to help young athletes grow.

That experience sparked a new passion.

Today, she coaches weekly at her local MMA gym, working with recreational adults and high school athletes while also assisting the University of Calgary Dinos coaching staff at tournaments across North America, including an all-female tournament in Montana.

Watching women's wrestling continue to grow has become one of her greatest sources of inspiration.

She hopes to play even a small role in creating more opportunities for the next generation.

Despite everything she has already accomplished, Miki believes her greatest strength isn't talent—it's mindset.

One Japanese word perfectly captures how she approaches both wrestling and life:

Kaizen (改善).

Continuous improvement.

There is always another technique to refine.

Another lesson to learn.

Another step forward.

For Miki, wrestling isn't about reaching perfection.

It's about becoming just a little better every single day.

That philosophy also reminds her of her grandmother, an exceptional volleyball player during an era when Japan was one of the world's dominant volleyball nations. Although her grandmother had the ability to pursue the sport at a higher level, life led her in a different direction.

Her story is never far from Miki's mind.

It reminds her never to take opportunity for granted.

Every training session.

Every competition.

Every chance to wear Canada's colours.

Every opportunity to mentor young athletes.

They are privileges.

She also credits the University of Calgary Dinos program and coaches Paul, Mitch, and Carol for giving her the trust and opportunities to grow—not only as an athlete but as a coach and leader.

Their support has helped shape the person she continues to become.

From neighbourhood games in Tokyo...

...to engineering classrooms in Calgary...

...to standing atop the podium as Canada's National Champion...

Miki Rowbottom's journey proves that there is no single path to greatness.

Sometimes the sport you love isn't the one you planned to pursue.

Sometimes the schedule changes everything.

And sometimes, the greatest victories come from embracing every challenge, every culture, every opportunity—and choosing to improve a little more every single day.

Career Highlights

• 2025 Senior World Team Member
• 2024 Canadian Senior National Champion
• 2023 U SPORTS Championship Bronze Medalist
• 2021 U23 World Team Member
• Four-time Pan American Championships Medalist (3 Silver, 1 Bronze)

Practice. Perseverance. Purpose.

That's the journey from Practice to Podium.