Lucknow, Ont. cheering on local Olympian
The signs supporting Julie-Anne Staehli’s pursuit of Olympic glory are popping up every place you can imagine, in and around her hometown of Lucknow.
“Signs everywhere. Everyone is getting involved. We had a little contest on the Facebook group, encouraging people to decorate and they have just gone with it,” says neighbour and Staehli supporter, Chris Hackett.
Staehli, 27, who actually grew up just outside of Lucknow, is one of 57 track and field athletes representing Canada in Tokyo. She’ll be running the 5,000 metre (five kilometre) race, which she qualified for by setting personal best times below 15 minutes this spring.
“During COVID when facilities were closed down, the local gym was good enough to lend weights and workout gear. She was always running the roads out here, her mom biking beside her, trying to keep up, because she’s so fast,” says Cathy Gibson.
Hackett and Gibson started a Facebook group called Julie Anne’s Journey to the Tokyo Olympics with updates and trivia about the local Olympian. They’ve even collected over $6,000 in donations from the community to support Staehli’s journey to Tokyo.
“She’s a small town girl, but she’s on a big stage,” says Hackett.
Staehli’s Olympic debut, in the women’s 5,000 m qualifying heats, is scheduled for early Friday morning. Lucknow and the surrounding area will be watching.
“There’s going to be a lot of early morning Bailey’s and coffee, that’s for sure,” says Gibson.
You can follow Julie-Anne’s Journey to Tokyo, through her community’s eyes, here.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Video shows suspect setting Toronto-area barbershop on fire
Video of a suspect lighting a Richmond Hill barbershop on fire earlier this week has been released by police.
The kids from 'Mrs. Doubtfire' are all SUPER grown up now, and we're not OK
The adorable trio of child actors from the 1993 classic comedy 'Mrs. Doubtfire,' which starred the late and great Robin Williams, are all grown up and looking back on their seminal time together.
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.
Police officer hit by driver of fleeing vehicle in Toronto
York Regional Police say they are continuing to search for a suspect in an auto theft investigation who was captured on video running over a police officer in Toronto last month.
TD worst-case scenario more likely after drug money laundering allegations: analyst
TD Bank Group could be hit with more severe penalties than previously expected, says a banking analyst after a report that the investigation it faces in the U.S. is tied to laundering illicit fentanyl profits.
Premier Legault reiterates that McGill pro-Palestinian camp must be dismantled
Quebec Premier François Legault reiterated that the pro-Palestinian encampment at McGill University must be dismantled while police remain 'on the lookout for new developments.'
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.
'I have the will to live': N.B. woman needs double lung transplant
A New Brunswick woman suffering from sarcoidosis, a disease that limits your lung capacity, is in need of a double lung transplant.
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.