High River rugby player Carmen Izyk is a star on the rise in the rugby world.

She went to an RBC Olympic Talent Identification Camp last Summer and has been "fast tracked" as a future Olympian and has earned some funding from RBC.

"I made the top 100 at the RBC Training Ground. Where they did a lot of tests and took your scores. Depending on how you did on the tests, different sports would identify you. And Rugby identified me, rugby seven's, which is exactly what I wanted."

Rugby Canada was thrilled at how well Izyk did, but in a release talked about her potential in other sports as well.

Izyk's results were so strong, reaching several elite and developmental benchmarks, that she caught the eye of officials from several sports, not just those from rugby.

She exceeded Rowing Canada's benchmark in strength (arm pull test), and its elite, Olympic-level benchmark for endurance (determined by measurements on an arm/leg assault bike).

She also exceeded benchmarks established by Bobsleigh-Skeleton Canada (height and 30m acceleration speed), Canoe Kayak Canada (wingspan) and Rugby Canada (standing long jump, to measure power).

To put the accomplishment into perspective, from all the events across the country last year, more than 2,000 elite young athletes were tested.

Of those, three hundred were invited for additional testing by a national sport organization or invited to a regional final.

Of these 300, only thirty, including Izyk, were awarded funding to start or boost their Olympic journey.

Her success meant Izyk has moved to Victoria to finish her grade 12 year, and train with the national rugby team full time.

Izyk had a great 2017 in rugby though as she not only played for the Highwood Mustangs, but the Foothills Lions club and was part of Team Canada's U-17 Rugby Seven's team that went to the Youth Commonwealth Games in the Bahamas.

She also helped the Alberta Wolf Pac U-18 Women's Canadian Rugby Squad to a championship.