'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
BREAKING Legendary hockey broadcaster Bob Cole dies at 90: CBC
Bob Cole, a welcome voice for Canadian hockey fans for a half-century, has died at the age of 90. Cole died Wednesday night in St. John's, N.L., surrounded by his family, his daughter, Megan Cole, told the CBC.
Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction overturned by N.Y. appeals court
New York's highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction, reversing a landmark ruling of the #MeToo era in determining the trial judge improperly allowed women to testify about allegations against the ex-movie mogul that weren't part of the case.
2 teens charged in Halifax homicide: police
Two teenagers have been charged with second-degree murder in connection to an alleged homicide near the Halifax Shopping Centre earlier this week.
12-year-old hippo in Japan raised as a male discovered to be a female
When Gen-chan arrived at a zoo in Japan in 2017, no one questioned whether the then-five-year-old hippopotamus was a boy. Seven years later, zoo staff made a surprising discovery: Gen-chan, now 12, was female.
Honda to get up to $5B in govt help for EV battery, assembly plants
Honda is set to build an electric vehicle battery plant next to its Alliston, Ont., assembly plant, which it is retooling to produce fully electric vehicles, all part of a $15-billion project that is expected to include up to $5 billion in public money.
MPP Sarah Jama asked to leave Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
MPP Sarah Jama was asked to leave the Legislative Assembly of Ontario by House Speaker Ted Arnott on Thursday for wearing a keffiyeh, a garment that is banned at Queen’s Park.
'Deep ignorance': Calls for Manitoba trustee to resign sparked after comments about Indigenous people and reconciliation
A rural Manitoba school trustee is facing calls to resign over comments he made about Indigenous people and residential schools earlier this week.
CTE: Researchers believe widespread brain injury may contribute to veteran suicide rate
Researchers are working to better understand if some Canadian military veterans may be suffering from Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, also known as CTE -- a disorder previously found in the brains of professional football and hockey players after their death.
1 arrested in northern Alberta during public shelter order
Residents of John D'Or Prairie, a community on the Little Red River Cree Nation in northern Alberta, were told to take shelter Thursday morning during a police operation.