'Over the moon': Coquitlam father elated at daughter's gold-medal-winning kick
Carlos Grosso was on the edge of his seat during many of the middle-of-the-night women’s soccer matches at the Tokyo Olympics. But he never expected it would be his daughter, 20-year-old Julia Grosso, who’d bring home the gold with a winning penalty kick for Canada.
“We are excited, over the moon. Super, super, super happy. You can’t describe the words,” said the proud father, who watched with friends and family from his home in Coquitlam.
His heart was in his throat when the game ended 1-1 after extra time and went to penalty kicks. He was thrilled when Canada tied the shootout and had a chance to win it. Then, he saw it was Julia who would kick for gold.
“The camera was doing the replays and then all of a sudden it was straight to her and, ‘Oh Julia’s up,’” he said. “We are a little bit nervous, right? But she had all the confidence because she’s practised that.”
“I was freaking out, to be honest, that was the most nerve-wracking moment of the whole game,” said Julia’s older sister Carli, who was also watching from Coquitlam.
“I knew she was a PK taker. I was anticipating it. I just didn’t know when.”
The Grosso home erupted in deafening cheers when Julia’s penalty kick tipped into the net off the Swedish goalie’s glove to capture the gold medal.
“Oh my goodness, we were going insane,” said Carli. “I was crying. I was bawling my eyes out. I saw my dad – he probably won’t want to admit it – but I saw him tearing up a little bit, which is not normal for him.”
The Grosso family is thrilled for the 20-year-old soccer phenom whose dream of playing for the Canadian national team began while watching the World Cup in 2015. And they’re equally excited for team leader and Burnaby native Christine Sinclair.
“She treats my sister like a little sister, my sister absolutely adores Christine,” Carli said. “And I think the team getting together and not only winning for Canada but winning for her, I think is such a moment.”
“First I think of Christine,” said her former national team teammate Andrea Reid, who also woke up early to watch the gold medal match.
“I’ve known her for a very long time, since she was younger than some of those players, and I am so elated it’s hard to find a word,” said Reid, who along with Sinclair was instrumental in building the Canadian women’s soccer program.
“Women’s soccer now has come to a point people are not talking about women’s soccer, they are saying, ‘Did you catch the soccer game?’ Cafes were open at 5 o’ clock in the morning and people gathering to watch, and that’s a beautiful testament to how far the game has come,” said Reid.
Grosso has come a long way too. The newly-minted gold medallist plans to finish college at the University of Texas and turn professional in December.
“We are really excited,” said her dad. “We don’t know where she is going to end up, right? But wherever she goes, we will be supporting her.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Latest updates on air quality alerts, and when the smoke may reach Ontario and Quebec
Wildfires have led Environment Canada to issue air quality advisories for parts of B.C., Alberta, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and the Northwest Territories, as forecasters warn the smoke could drift farther east.
Are these Canada's best restaurants? Annual top 100 list revealed
The annual list of Canada's top restaurants in the country was just released and here are the places that made the 2024 cut.
Ellen DeGeneres addresses the 'hurtful' end of her talk show in new stand-up set
Ellen DeGeneres is reflecting on how her talk show came to an end in her newest Netflix special, 'Ellen's Last Stand ... Up Tour.'
Steal a car, lose your driver's licence for 10 years under new Ontario proposal
Repeat car thieves may face lengthy licence bans under proposed changes to Ontario’s Highway Traffic Act.
B.C. brings in law on name changes on day that child killer's new identity revealed
The BC NDP have tabled legislation aimed at stopping people who have committed certain heinous acts from changing their names.
What to pack during an emergency
Knowing what to have at home, or take with you for an evacuation, can be useful and even life-saving.
Significant police presence as Israeli flag flies at Ottawa City Hall
The Israeli flag is flying at Ottawa City Hall today to mark the country's national day, with plans to hold a private ceremony to mark Israel's Independence Day. There is a significant police presence at City Hall, including security barriers outside the main doors.
Hot history: Tree rings show that last northern summer was the warmest since year 1
The broiling summer of 2023 was the hottest in the Northern Hemisphere in more than 2,000 years, a new study found.
Regulated area for invasive box tree moth expanded to parts of the Maritimes
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has added much of the Maritimes to a regulated area for an invasive species.