'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
BREAKING Security guard shot, seriously injured outside of Drake's Toronto mansion
A security guard working at Drake’s Bridle Path mansion in Toronto was seriously injured in a shooting outside the residence early Tuesday morning, police said.
King Charles too busy to see son Prince Harry during U.K. trip
Prince Harry will not be seeing his father King Charles during his current visit to Britain as the monarch will be too busy, Harry's spokesperson said on Tuesday.
Your body needs these three forms of movement every week
Movement is movement, right? Not exactly. Here’s what your body is looking for in addition to your morning walk or yoga session, according to experts.
'It looked so legit': Ontario man pays $7,700 for luxury villa found on Booking.com, but the listing was fake
An Ontario man says he paid more than $7,700 for a luxury villa he found on a popular travel website -- but the listing was fake.
Canadian cadets rock mullets and place second at U.S. military competition
Sporting mullets, Canadian Armed Forces officer cadets placed second in an annual military skills competition in the U.S.
The Met Gala was in full bloom with Zendaya, Jennifer Lopez, Mindy Kaling among the standout stars
The Met Gala and its fashionista A-listers on Monday included Jennifer Lopez, Zendaya and a parade of others in a swirl of flora and fauna looks on a green-tinged carpet lined by live foliage.
Quebec to limit sperm donations per donor after 3 men from same family father hundreds of children
Quebec is looking at tightening the regulations around sperm donation in the province following the release of a documentary that revealed three men from the same family fathered hundreds of children.
How to overcome 'savings guilt' when you're living paycheque to paycheque
As the higher cost of living continues to squeeze household budgets, many Canadians find they have even less left over at the end of every month to squirrel away for the future.
There's actually no such thing as vegetables. Here's why you should eat them anyway
The rumours are true: Vegetables aren't real — that is, in botany, anyway. While the term fruit is recognized botanically as anything that contains a seed or seeds, vegetable is actually a broad umbrella term.