'This really puts London on the map:' Celebrating local Olympic champions
Hundreds of spectators piled into the stands at Labatt Park Saturday afternoon to honour the homegrown athletes who represented the city and country in the Tokyo Olympic games.
Tourism London and the City celebrate the iconic Olympic performances of London Ont.'s athletes, coaches and staff from the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games at Labatt Park, seen Saturday August 28, 2021 (Jordyn Read/CTV London)
A standing ovation was offered by the crowd as the Olympians made their way to the podium, centered in the park.
“it’s so incredible,” says gold, silver and bronze medalist Maggie MacNeil.
London Ont. swimmer Maggie MacNeil and University of Michigan swimmer became the first woman to break 49 seconds in the 100 butterfly (Jordyn Read/CTV London
‘I mean lots of people don’t really know where London is, like my friends out west. This really puts London on the map and shows that we are national competitors when it comes to athletics,” Mac Neil adds.
With nearly no fans in the stands at the Olympic games due to COVID-19, Londoner’s were making up for lost time.
“We want to make noise so loud that athletes hear it all the way to Paris 2024,” says Deputy Mayor for London, Josh Morgan.
The event ran by the City of London in partnership with Tourism London was a welcomed reunion for athletes and spectators alike.
“I am excited to share it,” Olympic rowing champion Susanne Grainger tells CTV News as she points at her gold medal.
On July 30, the women’s eight crew including Susanne Grainger won in just under six minutes, securing the gold for Canada for the first time in 29 years. (Jordyn Read/CTV London)
“COVID has really kept us all separate and obviously no one was able to go to Tokyo to cheer us on, so this is that moment we missed on the podium, being able to share it with everybody.”
It’s one of the first in person events this summer for the region and people were asked to physically distance along with wear masks.
The ceremony held question and answer periods and welcomed Olympian's to tell their journey's from training days to the event itself.
Jennifer Martins, Olympic Rower Coxless Four was happy to connect with the community.
“We haven’t really had any celebrations, we just competed and went home and did our own respective things, this is awesome to be able to come together.”
Jennifer Martins was in the eight that finished fourth, qualifying the boat for Tokyo 2020. (Jordyn Read/CTV London)
Olympian Damian Warner hopes the sighting propels future athletes to stardom
“I think from not only my story but from all the other athletes here, you can see that if you have the right team around you and you dream big for something, anything is possible. I hope that is a message people can get today.”
London native Damian Warner Decathlete Champion and Flag-bearer for closing ceremonies at Tokyo Olympic Games (Jordyn Read/CTV London
London native Miranda Ayim, athlete with Canada women’s basketball team, also hopes the future generation will get inspired.
“We’re not just athletes but we realize that people are looking at us and looking up to us. It’s exciting to reach back to some of the young girls and boys who perhaps want to be in sports, and want to model themselves after the steps we took. It's nice to bring that back to the London community.”
Miranda Ayim from the hometown of London Ont., is three time Olympian for Canada's women's basketball team
And the community couldn’t be happier that they did.
Thank you to all the athletes for giving us something to cheer about in 2021,” says spectator Kathy.
The event was held at 12:00 p.m. running shortly after 1:30 p.m.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Stamp prices rise for the third time in five years amid financial woes for Canada Post
Canada Post is increasing stamp prices for the third time since 2019, a move the Crown corporation says is a "reality" of its sales-based revenue structure.
BREAKING Winnipeg man admits to killing four women, claims he's not criminally responsible
Defence lawyers for Jeremy Skibicki have told the court the accused unlawfully caused the death of four women, but argue he is not criminally responsible due to mental disorder.
WATCH Avian flu: Risk to humans grows as outbreaks spread, warns expert
H5N1 or avian flu is decimating wildlife around the world and is now spreading among cattle in the United States, sparking concerns about 'pandemic potential' for humans. Now a health expert is urging Canada to scale up surveillance north of the border.
Human remains were found at a former Hitler base, but decay prevents determining the cause of death
Polish prosecutors have discontinued an investigation into human skeletons found at a site where German dictator Adolf Hitler and other Nazi leaders spent time during the Second World War because the advanced state of decay made it impossible to determine the cause of death, a spokesman said Monday.
Italy's white-collar mafia is making a business killing
Italy's mafia rarely dirties its hands with blood these days. Extortion rackets have gone out of fashion and murders are largely frowned upon by the godfathers.
Ontario MPP asked again to leave Ontario legislature over keffiyeh, Speaker loosens ban
An Ontario MPP was asked again to leave the Ontario legislature on Monday for wearing a keffiyeh, a garment that was banned by the Speaker last month due to its political symbolism.
The story of how a B.C. man found his birth mother
After his adopted parents died, Dave Rogers set out to learn more about his birth mother. DNA results and a little help from friendly strangers would put him on a path to a small town in England.
Trump fined US$1,000 for gag order violation in hush money case as judge warns of possible jail time
The judge presiding over Donald Trump's hush money trial fined him US$1,000 on Monday for violating his gag order once again and sternly warned the former president that additional violations could result in jail time.
An El Nino-less summer is coming. Here's what that could mean for Canada
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.