'Kennetcook Kid' Wyatt Sanford welcomed home with parade, music and fireworks
Olympic bronze medallist hopes to inspire young athletes
Two-time Olympic boxer Wyatt Sanford has returned home with a goal of giving back, but first he is taking a break from the sport.
The 25-year-old from Kennetcook, N.S., won bronze in the 63.5-kilogram weight class at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. On Sunday, Sanford celebrated with his hometown — where he plans to live with wife and fellow Olympian Pamela Ware.
"I just want to go back to how I grew up with the family, with the community," said Sanford, who has been living and training in Montreal.
"I want to give back to the community as much as I can."
Fighting through injury
Sanford said he will consider what's next while healing from surgery this month. About a year ago, he ruptured a tendon in his thumb. He fought through the injury in Paris and also to win gold at the Pan Am Games in Santiago, Chile, last year.
"Not competing and, and not representing the country, that's something I would have regretted for years," he said. "If I have to take a little bit of pain to inspire some kids or youth … I'm more than happy to take the pain."
Sanford's hands were busy on Sunday, autographing baseball hats and boxing gloves belonging to young athletes. The event was also an opportunity to bear witness to an Olympic medal.
"It makes me really confident," said Jacob Boutilier from Rawdon, N.S., while holding his signed gloves.
"I got to hold [the medal]. It was kind of heavy," said Declan Goudey, a cousin of Sanford's, who plays multiple sports himself.
And it was a moment of pride for the boxing community in Nova Scotia.
Prior to Sanford, Halifax-based boxer David Defiagbon won Canada's last Olympic medal in the sport with a silver in the heavyweight division at the 1996 Atlanta Games.
Kirk Johnson, a boxer from North Preston, N.S., who competed at the 1992 Olympics, attended Sunday's event. He said Sanford's Olympic medal is a reminder of the boxing talent in the province.
"You just gotta be determined," said Johnson."That's what Wyatt did, he worked hard. That's what I did, I worked hard. That's what my cousin Custio Clayton did, he worked hard."
Clayton represented Canada at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, which is about the same time Sanford was starting in the sport.
WATCH | Nova Scotia's Wyatt Sanford punches his way to an Olympic medal
"I knew whether I won a medal or not, I was coming home to a community that loved me," Sanford said.
"Everybody's talking, saying congratulations. But then it goes back to just the way it's been for years. And that's one thing that I really appreciate about the community is it's just one big family."
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