Beach waits in ‘a buzz’ for Penny’s return home
Four-time Olympic medallist is star of east-end athletes to be honoured with a parade
It’s hard to tell whether Penny Oleksiak’s neighbours in the Beach cheered harder during her races than they will for her return. Both are causes for fanfare. “There’s a buzz on,” says Johanna Carlo, aboard member of the Beach Village BIA, which is organizing a homecoming parade for Beach-area athletes on Sunday.
Oleksiak’s big return could be Tuesday at 5:30 a.m., when Air Canada flights with athletes from several Canadian Olympic teams will land at Toronto Pearson airport.
The swimming team is one of them. The 16-year-old, four-time Olympic medal- list’s performance stunned us all watching at home, set the pace for Canada’s own performance in Rio and swept Toronto’s east end, where she’s from.
“That’s the thing about the Beach and the east end: when one of our own does well, we’re all just excited and we (feel we have) ownership in that,” said Carlo, whose chiropractic clinic in the Beach streamed Olympics throughout, so people could “pop in and catch a race.”
“It will be a little bit of mayhem because we’re a small town inside of a big city.” JOHANNA CARLO BEACH VILLAGE BIA
Oleksiak won gold in the women’s 100m freestyle, silver in the 100m butterfly, and bronze medals in the 4x100m and 4x200m freestyle relays, making her the most decorated Canadian swimmer at a single Games.
She became the face of Rio 2016 for Canada and its flag bearer during the closing ceremony.
The flag bearer for the opening ceremony, Rosie MacLennan, could be on one of the Tuesday morning flights as well. She defended her gold medal from the London Olympics this year, winning gold in Rio for her routine in the women’s individual final.
Members of another star of this year’s Games, Canada’s women’s soccer team, which won bronze in the finals against Brazil, are also expected back Tuesday morning, according to a press release from the Canadian Olympic Committee.
Carlo says she watched Oleksiak race. “You’re cheering; you find yourself yelling at the TV, and then, my gosh, when it actually happens, she wins — it’s total joy and elation.”
In the neighbourhood, she says, office decorations and sidewalk signs alike have celebrated the Olympics — and Penny.
“It will be a little bit of mayhem because we’re a small town inside of a big city,” Carlo said of Oleksiak’s return.
“We’ll also definitely be respectful and give her her space,” she added. “But, you know, everyone just wants to hug all our athletes and say: ‘Hey, we’re so proud of you.’”