London, Ont. family celebrates as daughter carries Canadian flag in Tokyo
It was a sleepless night for Gus and Sandy Ayim, with the anticipation of watching daughter Miranda walking into Olympic Stadium in Tokyo bearing the Canadian flag.
“Exhilaration, nervousness, anticipation as we just saw the flag...the Canada flag in the corner in the back, in the tunnel, and then that ratcheted everything up just a little bit as we saw the anticipation of them coming out,” says Gus.
Wife Sandy added, “I keep pinching myself. Is this really happening? And, just so, so excited for Miranda, and so excited for the whole Canadian team, and so excited for all of our friends and family because it takes a village to raise a child.”
At their London, Ont. home, memories of road trips to tournaments and early morning practices flood the mind for Gus as he watched his daughter realizing a dream come true in her final Olympic appearance.
“I was thinking about the early morning practices, she would want to shoot before school, so we would get to school a couple of hours before, and I might be in my suit ready for work, but I’d go and rebound.”
Mom Sandy reflected on the sacrifices her daughter had to make in her personal life in order to achieve this moment.
“Miranda has been away from family for so long, spent birthdays and holidays away, so there is that sacrifice, and yet anything worth doing, is worth doing hard and giving it that full commitment.”
Ayim will lead the Canadian women’s basketball team into action on Monday against Serbia in the first game of the preliminary round.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Two killed after collision with truck on Hwy. 417 near Limoges, Ont.
Ontario Provincial Police say two people were killed after a car and a transport truck collided in the westbound lanes of Highway 417 near Limoges, Ont. on Tuesday afternoon.
Houston braces for flooding to worsen in wake of storms
High waters flooded neighborhoods around Houston on Saturday following heavy rains that have already resulted in crews rescuing hundreds of people from homes, rooftops and roads engulfed in murky water.
Canadian doctor concerned new weight-loss drug Wegovy may be used inappropriately
As Wegovy becomes available to Canadians starting Monday, a medical expert is cautioning patients wanting to use the drug to lose weight that no medication is a ''magic bullet,' and the new medication is meant particularly for people who meet certain criteria related to obesity and weight.
What a U.S. farmworker’s case of bird flu tells us about tracking the infection
A U.S. farmworker who caught bird flu after working with dairy cattle in Texas appears to be the first known case of mammal-to-human transmission of the virus, a new study shows.
‘We made them safer and more fun’: Here’s what’s new about e-scooters
Electric scooters (e-scooters) have been gaining popularity in the capital and this season comes with some changes and updates.
Hulk Hogan, hurricanes and a blockbuster recording: A week in review of the Trump hush money trial
Crucial witnesses took the stand in the second week of testimony in Donald Trump's hush money trial, including a California lawyer who negotiated deals at the center of the case and a longtime adviser to the former president.
A Chinese driver is praised for helping reduce casualties in a highway collapse that killed 48
A Chinese truck driver was praised in local media Saturday for parking his vehicle across a highway and preventing more cars from tumbling down a slope after a section of the road in the country's mountainous south collapsed and killed at least 48 people.
Grandparents killed in wrong-way crash on Hwy. 401 identified
A 60-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman killed in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 earlier this week have been identified by the Consulate General of India in Toronto.
Canadian Auger-Aliassime reaches first Masters final in Madrid with another walkover
Montreal's Felix Auger-Aliassime has advanced to his first ATP Masters final, and he hasn't had to play all that much tennis to do it.