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
BREAKING Trudeau promises $1B in loans for child-care providers to expand care centres
The federal government is launching a new loan program to help child-care providers in Canada expand their spaces, and will be extending further student loan forgiveness and training options for early childhood educators, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Thursday.
Spring allergy season has begun. Where is it worse in Canada?
The spring allergy season has started early in many parts of Canada, with high levels of pollen in some cities already. Experts weigh in on which areas have it worse so far this season.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
Several flight attendants from Pakistan have gone missing after landing in Canada
Multiple flight attendants from Pakistan International Airlines have abandoned their jobs and are believed to have sought asylum in Canada in the past year and a half, a spokesperson for the government-owned airline says.
N.B. man wins $64 million from Lotto 6/49
A New Brunswicker will go to bed Thursday night much richer than he was Wednesday after collecting on a winning lottery ticket he let sit on his bedroom dresser for nearly a year.
'Nonsense:' Doug Ford slams lawsuits filed by Ontario school boards against social media platforms
Premier Doug Ford says that lawsuits launched by four Ontario school boards against a trio of social media platforms are “nonsense” and risk becoming a distraction to the work that really matters.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.
Multiple bridges in Calgary shut down for police incident
Calgary police have shut down a number of bridges into and out of the downtown core as officers deal with a distraught individual.
King Charles calls for acts of friendship in first public remarks since Kate's cancer diagnosis
King Charles III gave public remarks for Maundy Thursday, addressing the importance of acts of friendship, following his and Catherine, Princess of Wales’ cancer diagnoses.