Meet Canadian Olympic flag-bearer Miranda Ayim from Chatham-Kent
Ayim, Nathan Hirayama will carry the Canadian flag Friday in National Stadium on Friday
As the opening ceremony for Tokyo 2020 launches on Friday, Chatham-Kent's Miranda Ayim will be front and centre as one of two Canadian flag-bearers.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Monday that Ayim, a member of the basketball team, along with rugby sevens player Nathan Hirayama will represent Team Canada at the ceremony. Because of the pandemic, there will be limits on how many athletes and other team members will be in National Stadium.
Asked about her flag-bearer role, Ayim said: "It was so, so incredible when I heard the news. I was definitely shocked. I don't know if it's still completely sunk in but yes, just an incredible honour."
The 33-year-old is participating in the Olympics for her third and possibly final year.
WATCH | Miranda Ayim speaks with CBC ahead of the Olympic opening ceremony:
Ayim spoke with CBC Windsor host Chris Ensing about her thoughts going into the Games.
This Olympics will be a little bit different than the ones you've experienced before. The fans, the atmosphere, the people who can come and watch won't be the same as previous Olympics because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Who will you be thinking of when you carry that flag?
I will definitely be thinking of all the people back home that I'm representing, my family of course. All the Canadians at home that are watching and tuning in, and of course my Team Canada athletes who may or may not be attending the opening ceremonies. This is for them, so we're going to be waving that flag proudly.
Any advice for someone who's watching you? What would you say to them when they think about what's possible in their lives?
I would say don't worry about taking the path that you think is the predicted or the ideal path. I wouldn't say that my athletic path was necessarily the one that I had laid out. Bide your time, build your strengths, work on your weaknesses and enjoy the process as well. That's what sport is about.
You had such momentum during the qualifier and then this pandemic hit. How has that affected you as an athlete? As a leader?
We did have a lot of momentum, but who's to say we can't have that momentum now? It definitely added a pause, but I think we've able to use that pause to sharpen our skills in different areas. I'm hoping that turns out to be a great and wonderful silver lining in our journey.
What do you need people in Canada to be doing to cheer on this team? To support you as you go toward this big goal?
Virtually is the way we connect right now. Those messages of support from people back home are really exciting. Any way that people can connect with us in that way is wonderful. We know that people are disappointed that they can't be with us, but we definitely feel the love from people back home.
With files by Chris Ensing
