She might be the youngest gold medallist in our countryās history and the first Canuck to win four medals at a single Summer Games, but 16-year-old Penny Oleksiak remains humbly Canadian to the core.
āIāve just learned to expect the unexpected,ā the Toronto-born swimmer told reporters in Rio on Sunday. āI didnāt expect to come to this meet and medal as much as I did, and I definitely didnāt think Iād make that many finals.ā
Oleksiak, who was part of the team that won Canadaās first medal in the womenās 4x100 freestyle relay, went on to earn a gold in the 100-metre freestyle, a silver in the 100-metre butterfly and another bronze as part of the womenās 4x200 freestyle relay team.
āItās really nice to know that you got Canadaās first medal and that youāve set the tone for the rest of the Games,ā Oleksiak said.
Since her string of wins, Oleksiakās Twitter following has swelled from about 700 to more than 40,000 thousand ā including a famous fellow Torontonian, Drake.
āIāve seen a lot of people supporting me from Canada and I really like receiving all these messages,ā she said. But Oleksiak doesnāt anticipate too many changes when she returns home.
āI donāt really know what to expect ā Iām just going to go home and live my life,ā Oleksiak said. āI try to just focus on my friends and my family and the people whoāve been there before any of this really happened.ā
When asked about the secret to her stunning success in the pool, Oleksiak cited her long limbs, little frame and longstanding passion.
āI need to just love what I do, and right now, I really love swimming and itās something I want to continue doing.ā
The monotony of training can make the sport hard to love,ā Oleksiak added. āBut getting in your own lane to compete makes it all worthwhile.ā
The star swimmer added, āthe first thing I think about when I think about why I love swimming is definitely the racing.ā
Oleksiak, who is already being hailed as one of the most decorated athletes in Canadian history, has a long career ahead of her.
āPersonally, I just want to get faster and I want to keep progressing,ā she said. āI just want to be able to keep getting better and whatever happens, happens.ā
