Barrie's Kaili Lukan sets her sights on gold at the Tokyo Olympic games
All her life Kaili Lukan has followed in her sister Megan's footsteps, from her high school basketball and rugby days at Barrie Central Collegiate to an athletic scholarship in the U.S., and now the Olympic Games in Tokyo as a member of Canada's Women's Sevens team.
Lukan began her Olympic journey Wednesday in Tokyo, picking up where her older sister left off with a bronze medal result in rugby at the Rio games in 2016.
"I do send her messages every day leading up to this. She knows what to do. She's prepared for this," Megan said of her sister.
Steve Porter coached the basketball and rugby teams at Barrie Central Collegiate when Kaili and her sister attended.
"I'm absolutely thrilled... over the moon. It's pretty awesome. I can't wait to see how they do," said Porter.
"Between Megan and Kaili, it's a 1A, 1B as far as how tight we were. I spent a lot of time with Kaili in her senior year, so for me to see all the successes, she's had and be able to represent Canada, that's always been her dream," her former coach added.
Kaili earned a scholarship to play basketball for the University of Wisconsin - Green Bay. She represented Canada on the hardcourt before making the switch to play rugby in 2016.
Now a member of the Canadian Women's Rugby Sevens squad, Kaili is poised to strike gold on the biggest stage in sports with no fans in attendance due to COVID-19 restrictions in place in Japan.
Still, that's not stopping her family and friends from cheering her on from the homefront.
"Kaili's two sisters, Aliska and Megan, and myself had already planned to be in Tokyo for these Olympics, but now we've got a larger contingent who are supporting her from home," said her mother, Margaret Mulder.
"It's a dream come true. I had no idea that they would get to this level. She's followed in Megan's footsteps for many, many years, but she's definitely standing on her own two feet," her mom said.
Her sister Megan believes Kaili and her teammates have what it takes to top the world in Tokyo.
"Because by all means they're physically talented to be there and could easily walk away with any medal. I think what's going to be the difference-maker is their teamwork together," she said.
Following their opener against Brazil, Lukan and Team Canada play a doubleheader Thursday morning and evening against Fiji and France. Her family is crossing its collective fingers she'll be playing for gold on Saturday.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
NDP motion regarding Palestinian statehood passes after major Liberal alterations
A motion from the federal New Democrats initially calling on Canada to recognize the 'State of Palestine' passed amid widespread acrimony on Monday, after the Liberals drastically altered its wording to see the government simply work towards that aim as part of a two-state solution.
'He didn't want to die': Family of Calgary man killed in standoff speaks out
Family of a Calgary man killed after a 30-hour standoff with police last week are speaking out, sharing details of the tense and heart-wrenching experience.
Toronto family doctor who called patient's body 'perfect' suspended for 3 months: tribunal
A family doctor in Toronto has been suspended for three months after a disciplinary tribunal found that he failed to follow proper protocols while examining a patient's breasts and made inappropriate comments about her body.
Ohio mom who left toddler alone 10 days when she went on vacation pleads guilty to aggravated murder
An Ohio mother whose 16-month-old daughter died after being left home alone in a playpen for 10 days last summer while she went on vacation was sentenced Monday to life in prison with no chance of parole.
Retired teacher pleads guilty to paying for sex with 15-year-old in Collingwood, Ont.
In a Barrie courtroom on Monday, a retired high school teacher from the Niagara Region pleaded guilty to sexual touching and obtaining sexual services from a 15-year-old boy in Collingwood in 2021.
Hertz CEO out following electric car 'horror show'
The company, which announced in January it was selling 20,000 of the electric vehicles in its fleet, or about a third of the EVs it owned, is now replacing the CEO who helped build up that fleet, giving it the company’s fifth boss in just four years.
5 charged in Calgary kidnappings that targeted women
Calgary police have charged five men in a pair of kidnappings last year that targeted innocent victims.
Demand soars for solar eclipse glasses in Canada. Are they worth buying?
The demand for total solar eclipse glasses used to safely view the rare celestial event has been ramping up as sellers, along with astronomy and eye-care experts in Canada, warn that viewing the eclipse with the naked eye is dangerous.
Canadian commander of volunteer fighter group dies in Ukraine
A Canadian-born commander of the so-called Norman Brigade, a volunteer fighting group in Ukraine, has died.