London, Ontario: City of Olympic champions


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The Canadian Maggie Mac Neil swims to a bronze medal in the final of the women’s 4 x 100 m medley relay during the Tokyo Summer Olympics on August 1, 2021 in Tokyo.

Adrian Wyld / The Canadian Press

Sat in a press room in Tokyo, Damian Warner talked about the feeling of “community” in his hometown of London, Ontario, and the warm, small town feel he gets from the midsize city where he still trains for the world’s toughest competitions.

When the 31-year-old returns to London with his decathlon gold medal in the coming days, he won’t be the only Olympic champion the city welcomes home.

Opinion: Damian Warner wins gold in the men’s decathlon in Tokyo and sets an Olympic record

London-born athletes won or were part of four of the six Canadian gold medals that competed in the Tokyo Games on the final weekend of competition.

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It all started last week with the gold medal of swimmer Maggie Mac Neil in the 100 meter butterfly, and days later the championship run continued when rower Susanne Grainger took first place in the women’s eight team. Soccer players Jessie Fleming and Shelina Zadorsky added to London’s gold medal win on Friday when Canada beat Sweden in the women’s final.

“We have had a lot of success and there are a lot of great athletes in London who are at these games,” said Warner on Friday in a virtual phone call around 24 hours after his decathlon championship. “But [there’s also] lots of great young athletes to play in future games and I’m sure to win medals for London and Canada.

“It’s just a great city and I like to call it my home.”

“When we needed something, someone came up and helped us,” he added.

Andrew Craven, a former Mac Neil swim coach at the London Aquatics Club, said it was exciting to see so many high-level talent from London at the Tokyo Games, and not just in the pool.

He said appearances like those of Warner and Fleming – the 23-year-old scored Canada’s tie in the soccer final and another goal on penalties en route to victory – will help inspire a new generation of London athletes.

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