'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
Spectacular aurora light show to be seen across Canada Friday night
A rare and severe solar storm is expected to bring spectacular displays of the northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, across much of Canada and parts of the United States on Friday night.
Which Canadian cities have the highest and lowest grocery prices?
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
McGill University seeks emergency injunction to dismantle pro-Palestinian encampment
McGill University has filed a request for an injunction to have the pro-Palestinian encampment removed from its campus.
Swarm of 20,000 bees gather around woman’s car west of Toronto
A swarm of roughly 20,000 bees gathered around a woman’s car in the parking lot of Burlington Centre.
U.S. says Israel's use of U.S. arms likely violated international law, but evidence is incomplete
The Biden administration said Israel's use of U.S.-provided weapons in Gaza likely violated international humanitarian law but wartime conditions prevented U.S. officials from determining that for certain in specific airstrikes.
Barron Trump declines to serve as an RNC delegate
Former U.S. President Donald Trump's youngest son, Barron Trump, has declined to serve as a delegate at this summer’s Republican National Convention, according to a senior Trump campaign adviser and a statement from Melania Trump's office.
Mother assaulted by stranger while breastfeeding baby in her car: Vancouver police
A person was arrested in East Vancouver Thursday after allegedly entering a car while a mother was breastfeeding her four-month-old boy.
'We have laws': Premier Smith says police action justified in Calgary
The actions, including the decision to use non-lethal force, to disperse pro-Palestinian protesters from the University of Calgary campus were justified, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said Friday.
'State or state-sponsored actor' believed to be behind B.C. government hacks
The head of British Columbia’s civil service has revealed that a “state or state-sponsored actor” is behind multiple cyber-security incidents against provincial government networks.