Winnipegs Scott returns home after gold-medal victory

Winnipeg’s golden girl is back on home soil.

Desiree Scott touched down in the city Monday night just days after Canada’s women’s soccer team claimed gold at the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics and was greeted by cheering family and friends at the James Armstrong Richardson International Airport.

“I’m such a proud Winnipegger. This one is for our province, our city,” Scott said. “I’m just so happy to come back here, and thankful to all the people who supported this team and supported my career.”

And while Scott says the bronze medals in 2012 and 2016 were great, nothing compares to a gold.

“Hearing your anthem play and seeing the flag rise. It’s a feeling I’ll never forget and a memory I’ll never forget.”

READ MORE: Canada defeats Sweden, brings home gold in women’s Olympic soccer

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The twists and turns for Team Canada, which included wins in penalty kicks over the United States in the semis and Sweden in the gold medal game, made the quest that much enjoyable for Scott.

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‘We like to not make the journey easy for ourselves. The entire tournament was not a walk in the park and in pure Canadian fashion, we took it right to the penalty kicks,” Scott said.

“I almost passed out (during the gold medal game), I can’t deal with the stress of PKs. I remember my fists were clenched, my heart was racing, we did it. We finally did it.”

The Winnipegger hopes Canada’s victory will be an inspiration to many young girls across the country and get them on the pitch.

“Never stop believing in yourselves, be your own cheerleader and dream big,” said Scott. “I never ever would have imagined being at the top of the podium, a girl from Winnipeg, who just loves the game and you just never know where an opportunity is going to take you. So do the work and love what you’re doing.”

Scott will spend the next week in her hometown before heading to Kansas City, where she will join her pro team in the National Women’s Soccer League for the remainder of the season.

© 2021 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

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