Olympic gold medallist Jayde Riviere received warm welcome on return home
August 25, 2021
With her shiny Olympic gold medal slung around the neck, Jayde Riviere was the toast of her Pickering community for a few hours two weeks ago.
She returned home in the early evening on August 9 to cheers, welcome signs and balloons after Canada’s women soccer team made history two days earlier by defeating Sweden on penalty kicks in the championship game.
In her first Olympics, Riviere was an integral part of just the fourth Canadian team to win a gold medal at the Summer Games. The men’s soccer team secured gold at the 1904 Games in St. Louis and the men’s lacrosse side won back-to-back titles in 1904 and 1908.
Benched for the first game against Japan that finished in a 1-1 draw, she played the full 90 minutes in the next two games -- a 2-1 win over Chile and 1-1 draw with England.
With assurances from coach Ben Priestman that she would get minutes and be an impact player, Riviere was ready to go when her number was called.
“I had no intention of starting every game,” she said. “I just wanted to be part of the team and do anything I could for us to win. Just knowing my opportunity would come and staying focused on the big picture helped me to get through the disappointment of being on the bench for the opening contest.”
In the quarter-final victory over Brazil, Riviere logged 11 minutes as a substitute for Allysha Chapman. Just three minutes before the end of the second half of extra-time, she picked up her second yellow card in four games that ruled her ineligible for the semi-clash with the Americans.
“I was upset because I didn’t think I deserved that card,” she said.
Riviere was just two months old when Canada registered its last win against the Americans, a 3-0 shut out in the Algrave Cup competition in Portugal in March 2001.
In the ensuing 20 years, Canada’s record against the Americans was a dismal 30 losses and six draws.
The disappointment of not playing against the United States quickly turned into an opportunity to cheerlead and galvanize her teammates.
Jayde Riviere proudly displays her Olympic gold medal (Photo by Ron Fanfair)
“Though I couldn’t sit with them on the bench, I did everything I could from the stands with the other three alternates to energize the team and give them the boost they needed,” she said.
Back in uniform for the final against Sweden, Riviere was a second-half substitute in the contest that was decided by penalty kicks.
With the penalty shoot out progressing to sudden death, she knew there was a likelihood she could be summoned for the 11-metre kick.
“I have never had to take one a big stage like that,” she pointed out. “Penalties are nerve wracking and the intensity soars as you are waiting there for your number to be called. You try to stay focused and go over your preparation before stepping up to take that crucial kick. For me, I have to pull my socks up and take deep breaths.”
Riviere breathed a sigh of relief after Julia Grosso’s golden goal, preceded by Stephanie Labbe’s brilliant goalkeeping, propelled Canada to the historic win.
Leading up to the Olympics, she said a lot of emphasis was placed on penalty shooting during practice sessions.
“As a team, we took more than 300,” said Riviere. “We did them after every practice, so we were prepared. I think that helped a lot.”
What was it like playing in stadiums without fans?
“It was weird at first because every time the ball was kicked, you could actually hear that sound,” she said. “Normally, there would be people cheering and beating drums. I am trained to block everything out when I am on the field.”
It, however, mattered that her parents weren’t in Tokyo.
Unable to attend the Games because of COVID restrictions, Tony Riviere and Emily Liu cheered on their daughter from their Pickering home.
“This is an occasion where you get to see all of the hard work that Jayde has put on in pay off,” said her Dominican-born father who is a retired Toronto Police officer. “She set goals at a really young age and was able to attain them. We are so proud of her.”
With Priestman at the helm, the 20-year-old defender felt very comfortable in her first Olympics.
She made her Canadian senior team debut at the World Cup two years ago.
“When I was 14, she invited me to played with the Under-17 team,” said Riviere. “She really groomed me for this moment. She is someone who cares for her players and ensures we are clear about our roles and playing time.”
Originally a midfielder, Priestman convinced her to play the wing prior to the 2016 Confederation of North, Central American & Caribbean Associations of Soccer (CONCACAF) Under-15 tournament.
“Coach wanted me to be a winger because of pace and being able to get into the attack,” Riviere said. “I played the position until I was 16 years old when John Herdman asked me to switch to full back.”
Introduced to the sport by her parents, Riviere spent two years at Bill Crothers Secondary School where she was the Female Athlete of the Year in her freshman season and the scorer of 50 goals in 20 league games.
She was part of the Vancouver Whitecaps Girls Elite Super REX program that allows the top women soccer prospects from across the country to attend school, train and play together daily in Burnaby, British Columbia.
Riviere’s homestay lasted just 24 hours.
Olympic gold medallist Jayde Riviere received a warm welcome on her return to Pickering (Photo by Ron Fanfair)
She’s back for her junior year at the University of Michigan.
“I miss my team and I am excited to be going back,” she said. “Some daily training sessions were reduced so they could watch my Olympic games in the training room.”
