'I was on my feet screaming': Supporters proud of Kylie Masse after silver medal win
It was an intense 100-metre backstroke final for LaSalle’s Kylie Masse.
Her parents, Cindy and Louie were unable to attend due to COVID-19, but watched from their home as Masse chased the dream finish.
“She obviously went for it, went out hard and fast, we were just jumping and screaming,” Cindy told CTV News Windsor.
Friends and former teammates scattered around the continent also cheered Masse along through their TV sets, among them, former club and University of Toronto swim teammate Rachel Rodé.
“I was on my feet screaming, because it’s just so close and you really cannot tell, even at the touch, you can’t tell until it comes up on the screen,” she said.
Masse fought to the end, and touched the wall in 57.72 seconds, just a quarter second behind Australian Kaylee McKeown who broke the Olympic record.
Her medal was the third for the Canadian women's swim team following Maggie Mac Neil's gold in the 100-metre butterfly Monday and a freestyle relay silver Sunday.
Former Swim Club teammate Amber Lefler says Masse left it all in the pool.
“She wanted that so bad and she went out for it and in the end, she still did so well,” she said. “You can still say you were at the Olympics and on the podium.”
Masse’s 57.72 time is the second fastest she has ever recorded.
“I feel great. I’m really happy, I upgraded from 2016 which is wonderful and it’s an hour to be on the podium amongst incredibly talented women,” Masse reflected after the race.
This is her second Olympic medal, having taken home a bronze in Rio de Janiero in 2016.
“In Rio there were no expectations, but I have to admit there was some expectations this time. I didn’t want to verbalize anything,” father Louis Masse said. “And so it turned out great. As long as she’s happy, we’re happy.”
Masse’s home pool is at the University of Toronto, but with that pool closing due to the COVID-19 she relocated to Toronto’s Pan Am Sport’s Centre to join a training group.
When all pools were shuttered during the first wave of the pandemic, Masse’s family got creative.
Her father converted the family’s backyard swimming pool into an Olympic training centre this past April for Masse to train.
Work, that paid off for the athlete.
“Where we are now, two Olympic medals, and she’s just killing it like I knew she would,” Lefler said.
Instilling pride in her hometown at her alma maters Sandwich Secondary, WEST Swim Club and all of Canada.
- With files from The Canadian Press
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Widow looking for answers after Quebec man dies in Texas Ironman competition
The widow of a Quebec man who died competing in an Ironman competition is looking for answers.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
World seeing near breakdown of international law amid wars in Gaza and Ukraine, Amnesty says
The world is seeing a near breakdown of international law amid flagrant rule-breaking in Gaza and Ukraine, multiplying armed conflicts, the rise of authoritarianism and huge rights violations in Sudan, Ethiopia and Myanmar, Amnesty International warned Wednesday as it published its annual report.
Photographer alleges he was forced to watch Megan Thee Stallion have sex and was unfairly fired
A photographer who worked for Megan Thee Stallion said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that he was forced to watch her have sex, was unfairly fired soon after and was abused as her employee.
Amid concerns over 'collateral damage' Trudeau, Freeland defend capital gains tax change
Facing pushback from physicians and businesspeople over the coming increase to the capital gains inclusion rate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his deputy Chrystia Freeland are standing by their plan to target Canada's highest earners.
U.S. Senate passes bill forcing TikTok's parent company to sell or face ban, sends to Biden for signature
The Senate passed legislation Tuesday that would force TikTok's China-based parent company to sell the social media platform under the threat of a ban, a contentious move by U.S. lawmakers that's expected to face legal challenges.
Wildfire southwest of Peace River spurs evacuation order
People living near a wildfire burning about 15 kilometres southwest of Peace River are being told to evacuate their homes.
U.S. Senate overwhelmingly passes aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan with big bipartisan vote
The U.S. Senate has passed US$95 billion in war aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, sending the legislation to President Joe Biden after months of delays and contentious debate over how involved the United States should be in foreign wars.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.