A dozen Olympic athletes returned home on Monday, greeted by relatives and supporters at Montreal-Trudeau airport.
After thrilling Canadians for two weeks in Paris, several Olympians were cheered on their return to Montreal.
“I’m bringing a little piece of Paris back with me, but I apologize if I left it in my bag and I can’t show it to you,” Nathan Zsombor-Murray told reporters, referring to the piece of the Eiffel Tower on the bronze medal he won with teammate Rylan Wiens in the 10m platform.
“The experience was incredible, but after a month, it’s hard not to feel homesick. I’m super proud and super excited to see my family and friends again,” added the diver, who is looking forward to sharing his experience with “the youngsters” at the Pointe-Claire Aquatic Club, where he has been training since childhood.
Marathon runner Thomas Fafard said his best memory of the games was “seeing 80,000 people in the Stade de France, it was truly incredible.”
Sylvain Fafard couldn’t be more proud of his son Thomas, who placed 22nde at 5000 meters.
Even though the rider’s participation was far from assured just two months ago, the fact of having qualified for the final was an unexpected gift, explained Mr. Fafard, who was moved when welcoming him back to Montreal.
“When he entered the stadium, the emotions were quite high. […]being there was already magical and for him to reach the final was unexpected,” said the athlete’s father.
“A first Olympic final is super incredible, but the result was a little disappointing. But after a few days, I decompressed and I can now see all the positives of the experience,” summarized the 25-year-old Quebecer, who had a difficult end to the race after injuring his ankle.
Camille Carier Bergeron, who was also at her first Olympic Games, was also among the athletes who landed in Montreal on Monday.
“What I will remember is the support of Quebecers and Canadians […] “In my sport, in dressage, it’s very rare to have a big crowd, and to hear people screaming during the competition, it was magical,” said the rider.
With two fourth places, diver Caeli Mckay came very close to returning from Paris with a medal around her neck.
She explained that she “loved and enjoyed” her Games, particularly “being able to perform well with such a loud crowd.”
Asked about her plans for the future, the diver who has been training in Pointe-Claire for several years indicated that in the short term, she wanted to “eat a steak and drink wine” and have “a few months of vacation”, before joining her boyfriend, former Olympian Vincent Riendeau, who came to greet her at the airport.
Quebec boxer Cédrick Belony-Duliepre was the first Olympian to meet his family at the arrivals terminal of Montreal-Trudeau airport.
He was, however, the only representative in his delegation, as he competed for Haiti, the country of his ancestors, with just five weeks’ notice.
“It’s the best experience of my life. I’ve been training for ten years, it’s my dream. I think about it every day and with the ups and downs I’ve had, I didn’t give up, and then my dream came true,” said the boxer before going to meet his family.
Canada won 27 medals at the Paris Games, including nine gold.