'The room just erupted': Maggie Mac Neil's family reacts to gold medal
Maggie Mac Neil has become a household name, quite literally overnight, after winning Canada’s first gold medal at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics in the Women’s 100 metre butterfly race.
Her family recalls watching the event while on vacation in Kincardine, Ont.
“The room just erupted,” Mac Neil’s mother, Susan McNair, said in an interview with CTV News London.
At first, they were unsure if Mac Neil was going to place because of her start to the race, but they were pleasantly surprised when she did.
Speaking during a press conference at the Olympic Games, Mac Neil said she was also surprised with the outcome.
“When I touched the wall I heard the announcer say my name so I thought, ‘Oh I must have done something good,’ and then I’ve gotten better at squinting really hard to see the score board so I could kind of see that I had touched first so that was really exciting.”
Angela Schneider, director of the International Centre for Olympic Studies and an Olympic silver medallist in rowing says this fast rise to fame will have a life-changing impact on Mac Neil and those around her.
“Not all athletes have a great selection of who they can choose as a sponsor whereas once you win a gold medal, that opportunity gives you a little more room for selection,” said Schneider.
She says it’s likely Mac Neil will be presented with a bunch of brand new sponsorship opportunities and endorsements, but it will be important that she only says yes to the ones that are the best fit for her.
The Mac Neil family says they have already started to see the effects of having an Olympic champion in the family and the spotlight it brings -- as both the athlete and her family have been talking to media all day.
“You know it’ll be interesting to know and to learn more. I’ve connected with one of the other mothers who has an Olympian child who’s medalled before and I think people like that will be helpful to guide us as well,” said McNair.
She adds that it is uncertain if her daughter will try for the 2024 Olympics in Paris or if she is open to brand endorsements at this time.
As an Olympic champion herself, Schneider encourages the new star to use her platform to empower other young women to pursue their passion sports.
“It’s an important responsibility for the athlete to support initiatives that try to generate equity for female athletes in this kind of situation."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
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.
Premiers not being truthful about carbon tax, Trudeau says while sparks fly in Ottawa
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Conservative premiers across the country are 'not telling the truth' when it comes to the carbon tax. Trudeau's comments came as fresh sparks were flying in Ottawa at a recalled House of Commons committee.
A Nigerian woman reviewed some tomato puree online. Now she faces jail
A Nigerian woman who wrote an online review of a can of tomato puree is facing imprisonment after its manufacturer accused her of making a “malicious allegation” that damaged its business.
Far North police 'dispatch' polar bear stalking schoolyard
Police and local hunters in an Ontario Far North First Nation community have “dispatched” a polar that was showing abnormal behaviour and treating the area as a hunting ground.
Cargo ship had engine maintenance in port before Baltimore bridge collapse, officials say
The cargo ship that lost power and crashed into a bridge in Baltimore underwent 'routine engine maintenance' in port beforehand, the U.S. Coast Guard said Wednesday.
'Ninja,' Twitch's biggest streamer, is diagnosed with skin cancer
American gamer and Twitch superstar, Tyler 'Ninja' Blevins, revealed he was diagnosed with melanoma, a form of skin cancer.
Donald Trump assails judge and his daughter after gag order in N.Y. hush-money criminal case
Donald Trump lashed out Wednesday at the New York judge who put him under a gag order that bars him from commenting publicly about witnesses, prosecutors, court staff and jurors in his upcoming hush-money criminal trial.
Here's what Trudeau says the upcoming federal budget will offer renters
The federal government will create a new 'Canadian Renters' Bill of Rights,' which would require landlords to disclose their properties' rental price history to prospective tenants.
Families shocked after Niagara Falls hotel cancels bookings made year in advance of solar eclipse
After having the foresight to book their Niagara Falls hotel rooms more than a year in advance, several families planning to take in the solar eclipse next month were shocked to find out their reservations had been cancelled.