London's own Maggie Mac Neil comes home with every colour medal
Olympian Maggie Mac Neil came home this weekend after receiving a gold, silver and bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics.
Although tired and getting use to the time change, Mac Neil spoke with Ken and Loreena on News Talk 1290 CJBK early Tuesday morning.
With the pandemic, she told CJBK, "I pretty much didn't go in with any expectations because of the year that we had."
No expectations, but she came home with three medals to her name:
- Gold: Women's 100m butterfly
- Silver: Women's 4x100m freestyle relay
- Bronze: Women's 4x100m medley relay
With those medals has come new-found fame. She got a bit of a taste of it after winning worlds in 2019, but now she's a well-known Canadian, even getting a follow on Instagram from Ryan Reynolds, and having a brief conversation with him via direct messaging.
"I was getting so many followers a day but I kept scrolling and I was like, I found it and I was, it was just shocking. I told him The Proposal was one of my favorite movies, so I was like I texted him that and he's like, 'Oh, I love that movie too,' so it was really it was really cool."
As her hometown of London cheered her on, she also took time to speak to swimmers that she once swam with saying, "I was where they are. If you want to do something and put your mind to it, you can accomplish whatever you want."
Mac Neil claimed she's a 'swim nerd' who's constantly checking stats to see what she can do to get better.
The 21-year-old said the team had a final debriefing after the competition, counting down the two years plus until the next Olympics, but also making sure to enjoy the moment.
Although there was talk of Mac Neil being the flag bearer at the closing ceremonies of the Olympics, the Canadian Olympic Committee rules state that Olympians must depart within 24-48 hours of their final competition due to COVID-19 regulations.
Now that she's home, she assumes it will be one of the Olympians who is still in Tokyo.
What is the Olympian going to do now that she's home?
"Probably chill out, maybe take a nap at some point…have a campfire and a homemade drive-in with some of my friends."
- With files from CTV News London's Brent Lale
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Ontario Provincial Police arrest 64 suspects in child sexual exploitation investigation
Ontario Provincial Police say 64 suspects are facing a combined 348 charges in connection with a series of child sexual exploitation investigations that spanned the province.
AstraZeneca says it will withdraw COVID-19 vaccine globally as demand dips
AstraZeneca said on Tuesday it had initiated the worldwide withdrawal of its COVID-19 vaccine due to a 'surplus of available updated vaccines' since the pandemic.
Toronto police seek suspect vehicle after security guard shot outside Drake's mansion
Toronto police are seeking help from the public as they continue to investigate a shooting that seriously injured a security guard outside rapper Drake's mansion.
World's record-breaking hot temperature streak stretches through April
The world just experienced its hottest April on record, extending an 11-month streak in which every month set a temperature record, the European Union's climate change monitoring service said on Wednesday.
Most of Canada to receive emergency alert test today
The federal government will test its capacity to issue emergency alerts today, with the exception of Ontario, where the test will take place on May 15.
OPINION What King Charles' schedule being too 'full' to accommodate son suggests
Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, has made headlines with his recent arrival in the U.K., this time to celebrate all things Invictus. But upon the prince landing in the U.K., we have already had confirmation that King Charles III won't have time to see his youngest son during his brief visit.
Seafood, eat food: Calgary Stampede releases Midway menu
The Calgary Stampede has released its menu of sweet, salty and spicy treats available on the Midway for the Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth.
Boy Scouts of America is rebranding. Here's why they've changed their name
After more than a century, Boy Scouts of America is rebranding as Scouting America, another major shakeup for an organization that once proudly resisted change.
Ontario man devastated to learn $150,000 line of credit isn't insured after wife dies
An Ontario man found out that a line of credit he thought was insured actually isn't after his wife of 50 years died.