Manitobans came together Sunday for a gigantic celebration to honour Olympic gold medallist Jon Montgomery.
About 7,000 people from neighbouring communities gathered in Russell for a parade to honour the hometown boy, who won gold in men’s skeleton at the Vancouver Olympics on February 19. Dignitaries, politicians, fans and supporters of the athlete all gathered in the town’s hall as Montgomery made his way on stage shortly after having his winning performance played again for the crowd on giant screens.
Gold-coloured shirts sporting the slogan “Montgomery Gold: Mission Accomplished” were the official wardrobe of the day, with a number of the T-shirts becoming collector’s items after Montgomery signed dozens of them for fans.
Speaking with reporters late afternoon, Montgomery said he’ll be back in Winnipeg on Monday to fly out to Quebec, before heading on to St. John’s, NL next month to be a presenter at the 2010 Juno Awards.
Our partners at iTVBrandon.com streamed the festivities live and did a fantastic job to bring the experience to those who couldn’t be there.
Watch some of the media scrum they shot below:
Watch video of the reception Montgomery received Friday afternoon at the Winnipeg airport.
ChrisD.ca photo
