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 Legendary hockey broadcaster Bob Cole dies at 90: CBC
Bob Cole, a welcome voice for Canadian hockey fans for a half-century, has died at the age of 90. Cole died Wednesday night in St. John's, N.L., surrounded by his family, his daughter, Megan Cole, told the CBC.
MPP Sarah Jama asked to leave Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
MPP Sarah Jama was asked to leave the Legislative Assembly of Ontario by House Speaker Ted Arnott on Thursday for wearing a keffiyeh, a garment that is banned at Queen’s Park.
2 teens charged in Halifax homicide: police
Two teenagers have been charged with second-degree murder in connection to an alleged homicide near the Halifax Shopping Centre earlier this week.
Here's why Harvey Weinstein's New York rape conviction was tossed and what happens next
Here's what you need to know about why movie mogul Harvey Weinstein's rape conviction was thrown out and what happens next.
12-year-old hippo in Japan raised as a male discovered to be a female
When Gen-chan arrived at a zoo in Japan in 2017, no one questioned whether the then-five-year-old hippopotamus was a boy. Seven years later, zoo staff made a surprising discovery: Gen-chan, now 12, was female.
Honda to get up to $5B in govt help for EV battery, assembly plants
Honda is set to build an electric vehicle battery plant next to its Alliston, Ont., assembly plant, which it is retooling to produce fully electric vehicles, all part of a $15-billion project that is expected to include up to $5 billion in public money.
'Deep ignorance': Calls for Manitoba trustee to resign sparked after comments about Indigenous people and reconciliation
A rural Manitoba school trustee is facing calls to resign over comments he made about Indigenous people and residential schools earlier this week.
CTE: Researchers believe widespread brain injury may contribute to veteran suicide rate
Researchers are working to better understand if some Canadian military veterans may be suffering from Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, also known as CTE -- a disorder previously found in the brains of professional football and hockey players after their death.
1 arrested in northern Alberta during public shelter order
Residents of John D'Or Prairie, a community on the Little Red River Cree Nation in northern Alberta, were told to take shelter Thursday morning during a police operation.