As well as becoming a Canadian hero, newly minted Olympic gold medallist Carol Huynh is the toast of the town in her home of Hazelton, B.C.
The 27-year-old freestyle wrestler's cheering family watched her on TV from Beijing as she triumphed in the final round and stepped to the top of the podium.
"We were hollering and weeping and so excited," said Debbie Brauer, a family friend.
"To see her on the world stage and just doing what she can do and showing everyone, it was really emotional," she said.
Huynh defeated Japan's Chiharu Icho in the women's 48-kilogram final at China Agricultural University Gymnasium on Saturday to win her first career Olympic medal.
It was also the first medal of the games for Canada, where people were worried about our country's medal drought.
"It feels absolutely fantastic! It's still taking a little while for it to sink in and after I won I was screaming on the mat," said Huynh.
Huynh's parents immigrated to Hazelton before she was born as Vietnamese boat people, sponsored by the local United Church.
When Carol made the Olympic team, the volunteer fire department raised money to make sure her parents and siblings could go to Beijing.
"My parents worked really, really hard, so it's brought us to where we are now," said Carol's sister Millie Huynh.
Huynh's journey to Beijing came through SFU. She trained for 9 years under the university's longtime wrestling coach, Mike Jones.
"We always thought we could win -- Carol stepping up and doing it proves that we're right on our thoughts and that other young people should aspire to that also," said Jones.
Huynh also won gold at last year's Pan American Games and a bronze medal at the 2005 world championship.
With a report from CTV British Columbia's Shannon Paterson
