'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
Feds 'not interested' in investing in LNG facilities: energy minister
Energy and Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson says the federal government is 'not interested' in subsidizing future liquefied natural gas (LNG) projects, including the electrification of projects currently in the works.
Chants of 'shame on you' greet guests arriving for the annual White House correspondents' dinner
An election-year roast of U.S. President Joe Biden before journalists, celebrities and politicians at the annual White House correspondents' dinner Saturday.
Aerial photos show wide devastation left by tornado in China's Guangzhou
Aerial photos posted by Chinese state media on Sunday showed the wide devastation of a part of the southern city of Guangzhou after a tornado swept through the day before, killing five people, injuring dozens others and damaging over a hundred buildings.
Health minister 'deeply appreciative' of doctors but capital gains changes here to stay
Health Minister Mark Holland says while he is 'deeply appreciative' of the work doctors in Canada do, the federal government has no plans to scrap the proposed capital gains tax changes outlined in the latest budget, despite opposition from the Canadian Medical Association.
A top Qatari official urges Israel and Hamas to do more to reach a ceasefire deal
A senior Qatari official has urged both Israel and Hamas to show "more commitment and more seriousness" in ceasefire negotiations in interviews with Israeli media, as pressure builds on both sides to move toward a deal that would set Israeli hostages free and bring potential respite in the nearly seven-month-long war in Gaza.
What Trudeau's podcast appearances say about the Liberals' next ballot box question
Trudeau recently appeared on four podcasts as he travels the country talking up the Liberals' latest budget, which he's pitching as a plan to inject more economic fairness into society for those under 40 — a cohort that has kept Trudeau in power since 2015 but is increasingly turning to Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre.
Russian drones set a hotel ablaze in a Ukrainian Black Sea city
Russian drones early Sunday struck the Black Sea city of Mykolaiv, setting a hotel ablaze and damaging energy infrastructure, the local Ukrainian governor reported, while ammunition shortages continued to hobble Kyiv's troops in the more than two-year-old war.
A munitions explosion at a Cambodian army base kills 20 soldiers, but its cause is unclear
Security was tight around a military base in southwestern Cambodia on Sunday, a day after a huge explosion there killed 20 soldiers, wounded others and damaged nearby houses.
Deadly six-vehicle crash on Highway 400 sparked by road rage incident
One person was killed in a six-vehicle crash on Highway 400 in Innisfil Friday evening.