KITCHENER -- A member of the gold medal-winning Olympic women's soccer team who grew up playing in Kitchener wants to inspire others to take up the sport.
Shelina Zadorsky won bronze in 2016 and was determined to come home from the Tokyo Games with another medal.
"Thinking about it now, I don't really know if the gold medal has sunk in," she said.
Zadorsky said the team's determination played a large part in their success in Japan.
"We weren't afraid to say that we wanted to change the colour of the medal," she said. "Thinking that out loud and really living that dream allowed us to get here."
Zadorsky grew up playing soccer in Kitchener and London. Now, she's in England, preparing to return to the pitch in a couple of weeks with the Tottenham Hotspur.
She said one of the best parts of the gold medal win was seeing it inspire the next generation of athletes.
"For me especially, looking at young girls who want to play football as a career, I think I want to tell them 'do it and go for it and surround yourself with the best players and coaches and players that you can because it's truly possible,'" she said.
She's already got her sights set on the next summer Games in Paris in 2024.
