‘A proud moment for Canada’: Winnipeg’s Desiree Scott on winning gold in women’s soccer

WINNIPEG —
Winnipegger Desiree Scott said she’s still in shock of winning the gold medal for Team Canada in women’s soccer at the Tokyo Games.

“I have two bronze medals, which is a phenomenal feat,” she said in an interview with CTV Morning Live on Wednesday.

“But to be an Olympic champion and to have this [gold medal] around my neck, I’m still so in awe of these moments and what I just went through at these Tokyo Games.”

Scott is part of the Canadian women’s soccer team, who took home the gold after defeating Sweden in the women’s soccer final last week at the Tokyo Olympics.

The final ultimately came down to penalty kicks, which Scott said stresses her out.

“I had my hands over my eyes for a little bit watching. It was super stressful, but just those emotions, the roller coaster of emotions you felt, it was wild. But so happy we got the job done,” she said.

Scott, who won bronze medals in 2012 in London and 2016 in Rio, said the team goes into every tournament hoping to be the best in the world. She said the win in Tokyo is a culmination of a lot of hard work.

“Such a proud moment for Canada,” she said. “And to be able to represent Canada at the Olympic stage, and for me, I mean, to see your flag rise and to hear your anthem, those are memories I’ll never forget.”

HOW THE PANDEMIC CHANGED THE OLYMPICS

Scott said she felt safe the entire tournament, despite the event taking place during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Obviously, with soccer, we’re in different hotels in different locations, but the last two days, because we made the medal match, we were able to go to the village,” she said.

She noted that after the team’s big win, they still got the opportunity to celebrate in a safe manner.

“We got our chance to celebrate with all the other countries and show off these medals. It was really great,” she said.

WHAT’S NEXT?

Scott, who plays for Kansas City in the National Women’s Soccer League, said she’s hoping that one day there will be a professional women’s soccer league in Canada.

“We want to see the growth of the game,” Scott said.

“You can’t discredit what this program has done and where it’s headed. Hopefully, we’re inspiring people to invest more in the women’s game to get professional leagues in this country, because it’s so deserved,” she added.

Scott will be in Winnipeg for the next few days to celebrate with family and friends.

– With files from CTV’s Nicole Dube and The Canadian Press.