Kenora 'Paints the town Gabe' to cheer on homegrown athlete Gabe Mastromatteo in Tokyo Olympics
As Gabe Mastromatteo continues with his Olympic swimming debut, he will have his whole hometown cheering him on.
Signs of support and encouragement for the 19-year-old swimmer have been popping up around Kenora, Ont., where Mastromatteo grew up.
Steve Mastromatteo, the Olympian's father, said the gesture blew him away.
"Everyone we meet in the stores and stuff, or driving by businesses the signs that are up, it's overwhelming because of how much it means to everyone else too, and we take a lot of pride in that."
Andrea Ronnebeck, whose stepsister is Mastromatteo's mother and coach, is the one behind the signs. She's been rallying the community to cheer Mastromatteo on.
"I thought, well, instead of 'painting the town red,' how about we 'Paint the town Gabe,'" Ronnebeck told CTV News.
"Kenora has always been a close-knit community, and when there's a special event, people just get involved and provide support wherever they can."
Ronnebeck said up and down Main Street, businesses and residents have been getting in on the action – posting signs in the windows and on their lawns in support of Mastromatteo.
"I'm very, very proud of Gabe," she said. "He's worked so hard, he's so focused."
Ronnebeck said Mastromatteo is the third athlete out of Kenora to compete at the Olympics.
Mike Smith competed in the decathlon in 1988, 1992 and 1996 Olympics. Mike Richards joined Canada on the ice as they won gold for hockey in the Vancouver 2010 Olympics.
"I think it's wonderful that people that come from a small town like Kenora have the potential to achieve the things like what Gabe and Mike Richards etcetera have achieved," Ronnebeck said.
"We're not just a small tourist town."
Mastromatteo finished his Olympic debut on Saturday, landing in 6th place in Heat 3 with a time of 1:01:56. The time did not advance him to the semifinals, however, Mastromatteo is set to compete again on July 29 in the 4 x 100m mixed medley relay, and on July 30 in the 4 x 100m men’s medley relay.
While this is the 19-year-old's first time competing at the Olympics, Ronnebeck said she doesn't think it will be his last.
-with files from CTV's Mike Arsenault
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Trudeau promises $1B in loans for child-care providers to expand care centres
The federal government is launching a new loan program to help child-care providers in Canada expand their spaces, and will be extending further student loan forgiveness and training options for early childhood educators, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Thursday.
Spring allergy season has begun. Where is it worse in Canada?
The spring allergy season has started early in many parts of Canada, with high levels of pollen in some cities already. Experts weigh in on which areas have it worse so far this season.
'Nonsense:' Doug Ford slams lawsuits filed by Ontario school boards against social media platforms
Premier Doug Ford says that lawsuits launched by four Ontario school boards against a trio of social media platforms are “nonsense” and risk becoming a distraction to the work that really matters.
Several flight attendants from Pakistan have gone missing after landing in Canada
Multiple flight attendants from Pakistan International Airlines have abandoned their jobs and are believed to have sought asylum in Canada in the past year and a half, a spokesperson for the government-owned airline says.
N.B. man wins $64 million from Lotto 6/49
A New Brunswicker will go to bed Thursday night much richer than he was Wednesday after collecting on a winning lottery ticket he let sit on his bedroom dresser for nearly a year.
Multiple bridges in Calgary shut down for police incident
Calgary police have shut down a number of bridges into and out of the downtown core as officers deal with a distraught individual.
King Charles calls for acts of friendship in first public remarks since Kate's cancer diagnosis
King Charles III gave public remarks for Maundy Thursday, addressing the importance of acts of friendship, following his and Catherine, Princess of Wales’ cancer diagnoses.
Fallen crypto mogul Sam Bankman-Fried sentenced to 25 years in prison
Crypto entrepreneur Sam Bankman-Fried was sentenced Thursday to 25 years in prison for a massive fraud that unravelled with the collapse of FTX, once one of the world's most popular platforms for exchanging digital currency.
A dog and a bird formed an unlikely friendship. Their separation has infuriated followers
Peggy is a stout and muscular Staffordshire bull terrier, and Molly is a magpie, an Australian bird best known for swooping on humans during breeding season, not for befriending dogs. But in an emotional video posted online, Peggy’s owners announced that the animals had been separated.