Get to know the families behind the Olympic athletes

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Tokyo 2020

To Tokyo from home with love: Canadian Olympic athletes felt the unconditional support

Behind every Olympic athlete is the support from back home in Canada. From Sean McColl to Damian Warner, or from racing on the track to crushing it on the rugby field, families were cheering along with all Canadians.

Canada's Flag Bearer Damian Warner receives a letter from his Mom back home

"My Mom has been the most important person in my life." Canada's closing ceremony flag bearer Damian Warner reads a letter from his Mom, who instilled pride and spirit into him, and the generation to follow. Family Reunion presented by Sobeys.

Andre De Grasse reunites with his family after gold medal win

It takes a village to build an athlete as successful as Andre De Grasse. After his gold medal win, he reflects on the support of his family and how that powers him across the finish line.

Sean McColl thanks his parents for providing him the opportunity to become an Olympian

Canadian rock climber Sean McColl thanks his parents back home for all their help getting him to where he is now, an Olympian; a feat his parents are immensely proud of. Family Reunion presented by Sobeys.

'Family is everything to me': Damian Warner reflects on support from back home

Gold medalist and Olympic record decathlon athlete, Damian Warner, discusses how family has served as the foundation to his success.

Damian Warner's gold medal was inspired by his family

Even on the other side of the world, Damian Warner's family's love and support could be felt and propelled the decathlete to gold.

Damian Warner's family celebrates as he wins gold

Watch Warner's jubilant family in London, Ontario cheer him on as he breaks an Olympic record.

Andre De Grasse feels his family’s love trackside despite the distance

As soon as Andre De Grasse crossed the finish line as the 200m Olympic champion, he joined his family virtually to see reactions to his race and feel their support from the other side of the world. Feed the Dream presented by Sobeys.

Gymnastics was an early love for Ellie Black

Ellie Black looks back at the origins of her love of gymnastics and competition, and her father offers messages of support and love for her extensive career.

Sean McColl's parents couldn't be prouder

A dream that only recently became a reality, sport climber Sean McColl's parents share their joy and excitement for Sean's Olympic appearance.

'You are undeniably loved': Kylie Masse reads touching letter from home

Families may not be in the stands, but they’re never far away. Kylie Masse receives a letter from home after an exceptional performance at Tokyo 2020.

Family Reunion: Kylie Masse connects with her family after another podium finish

Canadian Swimmer Kylie Masse connects with her family back home after winning her second medal of the games - a silver in the 4x100 Medley Relay.

Family Reunion: Jennifer Abel is joined 'in' studio with longterm partner David Lemieux

Canadian diver Jenn Abel connects with her partner David Lemieux after a thrilling silver medal win in the 3m synchro diving event. Family Album - Family Reunion presented by Sobeys.

Fam Cam: Andre De Grasse's mother shares her well wishes from Canada

Canadian sprinter Andre De Grasse hears from his mom, reminding him that there's no added pressure on him to succeed - Sobey's Fam Cam.

Olympic medallist Jennifer Abel’s family are her biggest fans

Canadian diver Jennifer Abel knows she won’t be alone when she walks into the Olympic stadium in Tokyo.

Fam Cam: Ellie Black's Dad shares his love from back home

Canadian gymnast Ellie Black hears from home, being reminded to take a moment and think about all of the hard work she has done to achieve her Olympic dream.

Fam Cam: Cheering Jennifer Abel on from 10,000km away

Jennifer Abel's friends and family share their words of support as Jennifer goes for gold.

Fam Cam: Kylie Masse's parents send their love from across the globe

Olympic swimmer Kylie Masse receives words of motivation from her parents back home.

The Canadian women’s Rugby 7s squad is more than just a team, they’re family

They aren’t your typical family, but the Canadian women’s rugby 7s team love their ‘weird’ and wonderful group.

Ellie Black is inspired by how Canadian fans have helped fuel her dream, using it as a constant source of motivation

The Canadian Olympic gymnast considers her 'happy place' to be competing and she'll get the chance to do that in Tokyo.

Damian Warner doesn’t underrate play as a child - it made him an Olympian

Don’t underestimate the benefits of play as a child. Canadian decathlete Damian Warner credits playing tag and running through the community as a child for helping build the athlete that he is today.

Kylie Masse has learned to truly appreciate quality time with her family

The Olympic medallist appreciates family time around the dinner table even more now than she did growing up.

Andre De Grasse credits his mother for becoming the man and athlete that he is today

Noting his family and Canadian fans as his backbone, De Grasse knows he wouldn’t be where he is today without their support.

Sean McColl has been climbing things his entire life

The Canadian climber feels like the support of fans and his family has pushed him further in his career than he could have imagined.

Family Album

For Canada’s women’s hockey, teammates are family

Spending time together both on and off the ice and driving each other to be better has made the Canadian women’s hockey team a close-knit chosen family.

Carrying her mother’s legacy is what keeps Blayre Turnbull going

Blayre Turnbull lost her mother when she was 15, but knowing she always believed in Turnbull’s Olympic dreams has kept her locked in on the next challenge.

There’s no place like home for freestyle skier Brady Leman

Brady Leman’s career has taken him all over the world to ski, but spending time with family and living down the road from his parents are what bring him the most joy from a busy career.

Sarah Nurse’s home base is spending time at grandma’s house

In a big family full of siblings and cousins, Sarah Nurse knows making her grandmother proud is what drives her on the ice.

Cassie Sharpe’s community keeps her motivated to compete

Whether it be her parents or people from her hometown, Cassie Sharpe’s network of support has helped her succeed in skiing.

Where Isabelle Weidemann goes, her family will follow

When Isabelle Weidemann moved to Calgary at 17 to pursue her speed skating dreams, her family packed up and moved to support her and help fuel her to compete.

Marie-Philip Poulin’s gold medal dreams are made possible by her family

Even when times were tough, Marie-Philip Poulin’s parents and brother have always provided her with the support necessary to become an Olympian.

A life lesson from Mom led Max Parrot to snowboarding

When a nine-year-old Max Parrot wanted to snowboard, his parents said he had to buy the gear himself. Max saved enough to get his board, and his family has been behind his Olympic dream every step of the way since.

Family Cam

Cassie Sharpe's family celebrates her podium finish from all the way back home

As Cassie Shapre put down a silver medal run the in the women's halfpipe event, her family were cheering her on all the way.

Cheering on Brady Leman from Beijing to Vancouver to Calgary

Brady Leman's friends and family gathered together to cheer on the defending Olympic ski cross champion. Leman placed fourth in his semifinal race.

Family and friends go wild as Sarah Nurse opens scoring in gold medal game

Sarah Nurse scored her 17th and 18th point of the Beijing tournament in the gold medal game, en route to a 3-2 win for Canada over the U.S, breaking Hayley Wickenheiser’s Olympic record.

Family back home celebrate gold with the Canadian women's hockey team

After their Golden Game, the Canadian women's hockey team shared their triumph with family members back home.

Isabelle Weidemann’s family cheers her on to gold in team pursuit

Isabelle Weidemann's family and friends erupt in jubilation back home as Canada wins the gold medal in team pursuit in Beijing.

Canadian women’s hockey team shares in ‘Fam Cam’ experience

In a heartwarming post-game moment, members of the Canadian team got to celebrate their quarter-final win with family members cheering them on from back home.

Isabelle Weidemann’s family cheers her on to 2nd medal of Beijing

While they couldn’t be in Beijing, Isabelle Weidemann knows her family is cheering every step of the way from Calgary. The Canadian speed skater added a silver in the 5,000m to her Beijing medal haul on Thursday.

Sarah Nurse's family is ready to cheer loud for every minute of Canadian women's hockey action

Already with four goals in the Olympic tournament and three wins for Team Canada, Sarah Nurse's family has had lots to cheer about.

Weidemann's family has golden reaction to bronze-medal winning performance in 3,000m

Isabelle Weidemann's family couldn't be in Beijing to cheer her on to bronze, but they made their voices heard from back in Canada.

Family Reunion

Families earn gold medal for support of Olympic athletes

The families of Canada's athletes may have been thousands of miles away, but their cheers and support could be felt throughout Beijing by so many.

Letter from Cassie Sharpe’s family has Beijing silver medallist reaching for tissues

Cassie Sharpe’s greatest supporters couldn’t be by her side in Beijing, but reading a letter of support from her uncle back home in Canada brought the Olympic champion to tears.

Achieving his Olympic dreams: Brady Leman reads letter from younger sister

A tearful Brady Leman reads letter of “pride, love and support” sent by his family, and explains he’s always looked up to his sister even though she’s the younger sibling.

Isabelle Weidemann all smiles during surprise ‘family zoom call’ with parents, sister

With three medals around her neck, Isabelle Weidemann jokes she has one for each of her family members, who pop into for a virtual visit with her dog.

Cassie Sharpe 'chokes up' when her parents surprise her during an interview

Double medallist Cassie Sharpe is thrilled and emotional when her parents drop in for a virtual reunion.

Brady Leman gets surprise virtual visit from fianceé Cath

Following his ski cross race, Brad Leman was all smiles when fianceé Cath Wood popped onto the screen to share in his Olympic moment.

Sarah Nurse and Blayre Turnbull are excited to share their success with family back home

Olympic champions Sarah Nurse and Blayre Turnbull reflect on the support of their families and teammates during their journey to gold in Beijing.

Isabelle Weidemann brought to happy tears as 3-time Olympic medallist reads letter from sister

From a young age, little sister Lily knew Isabelle Weidemann could accomplish anything she set her mind to. Now, the Beijing superstar will get to celebrate a bronze, silver and gold with her family.

Max Parrot adds 'dad' to his impressive list of accomplishments

With his first baby on the way, Max Parrot is more motivated than ever by his family and has the results to prove it.

Fresh off Olympic gold, Max Parrot reads letter from fiancée in touching moment of triumph

No one understands how far Max Parrot has come quite as much as his partner Kayla Thibault, who wrote a letter of support to the now Olympic champion.