Maple Ridge softball star Larissa Franklin was honoured by Sport BC at the 58th Annual Athlete of the Year Awards on Thursday, March 5.
Franklin finished a battle with cancer just in time to get back on the field with the women’s national softball team last summer, and won the Harry Jerome Comeback Award at the 58th annual presentation of the Sport BC awards.
“This was an award that hit different because it was about more than just performance,” said Franklin in a social media post.
“Receiving the Sport BC Harry Jerome Comeback Award is an absolute honour, not because of anything I achieved but because of the person I can now see that I have become… Because of sport.”
Franklin is a 13-year veteran of the national team, an Olympic Bronze medal wit the team at the Tokyo 2020 Games. She has also won Pan American Games gold, silver, and bronze medals, and three World Championship bronze medals.
She was diagnosed with Lymphoma at the start of last year, and despite the trials of chemotherapy, she continued training and stayed committed to a return to international competition.
She finished treatment and learned her cancer was in remission just days before the national team held tryouts, and made the team.
“A year ago when I was diagnosed with cancer I started to repeat a phrase over and over again: ‘It’s going to get hard before it gets good,’” she said.
“Deep down I knew that the road ahead was not going to be easy but I focused on what could be and continued to do what was in my control.
“I owe so much to sport, including the mindset that helped me manage one of my biggest challenges yet. That’s what makes this award even sweeter.”
Franklin delivered an outstanding 2025 season, helping Canada win gold at the WBSC Pan Am Championship. They also won silver at the Canada Cup in Surrey, and was named to the All-Star Team. She also played at the World Games, and was named Softball Canada’s 2025 Athlete of the Year.
The event was hosted by CBC’s Scott Russell, recognizing the province’s best in amateur sport including athletes, coaches, teams, and officials for outstanding performances in their 2025 sport season.
“Congratulations to all the finalists of the 2025 Athlete of the Year Awards. This is the moment we celebrate your positive contribution to sport and community,” said Anne Kang, Minister of Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport. “Your commitment inspires those around you and demonstrates the importance of sport in bringing people together to build a stronger, more inclusive future for everyone.”
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