Kayla Alexander says the Canadian women's basketball team is ready for an Olympic challenge

Kayla Alexander drove back to the gym, reeling from losing to Japan, 86-82, in the FIBA Olympic qualifying tournament in Hungary in February.

She was sure her Canadian women's basketball team was bounced from Olympic contention.

The veteran forward from Milton, Ont., was down for the count before Spain took on 19th-ranked tournament host Hungary — the Spanish women were Canada's last hope at going to the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

"In my head, it was over with because it was out of our hands," Alexander told CBC Sports.

Alexander said she refused to watch the Spain-Hungary game and was speaking with her parents to try to come to terms with not being able to represent her country at the highest level.

As she was in the gym, she heard the final buzzer go off. She said she noticed a Hungarian fan walk by her, not in good spirits. Alexander finally decided to look at the scoreboard.

That's when she started crying.

In a dramatic 22-point comeback, Spain upset Hungary 73-72, qualifying Canada for Paris 2024.

With less than 50 days until the Olympic cauldron is lit in the French capital, Alexander said she's going to Paris with a mentality of determining her own fate this time around.

"I want us to be the people who are in charge of our destiny," she said. 

"We have too much talent."

WATCH | Alexander is 'highly motivated' for Olympics:

Alexander and her Canadian teammate, Shay Colley, are coming off a French professional basketball league season with Tango Bourges Basket where they finished second in the regular season but lost in the first round of the playoffs. However, they ended their pro season with a French Cup title, and Alexander was named the final game's MVP.

The Olympian is looking to take the winning momentum back to France when the Canadian national team heads to their fourth straight Games.