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
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
It's no secret that spring can be a tumultuous time for Canadian weather, and as an unseasonably mild El Nino winter gives way to summer, there's bound to be a few swings in temperature that seem out of the ordinary. From Ontario to the Atlantic, though, this week is about to feel a little erratic.
What do weight loss drugs mean for a diet industry built on eating less and exercising more?
Recent injected drugs like Wegovy and its predecessor, the diabetes medication Ozempic, are reshaping the health and fitness industries.
He replaced Mickey Mantle. Now baseball's oldest living major leaguer is turning 100
The oldest living former major leaguer, Art Schallock turns 100 on Thursday and is being celebrated in the Bay Area and beyond as the milestone approaches.
What a urologist wants you to know about male infertility
When opposite sex couples are trying and failing to get pregnant, the attention often focuses on the woman. That’s not always the case.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
It could take years to catch up on child vaccinations in Ontario post-pandemic
Ontario is still playing catch up on routine vaccinations that many children missed during the pandemic and public health officials are warning that it could take years to solve the problem.