'This is my village': Tokyo gold medallist Stephanie Labbé returns home to Alberta

Olympian Stephanie Labbe welcomed home The women’s soccer goalkeeper returned to the place where her journey began. Dave Mitchell reports.

EDMONTON — Edmonton-born Stephanie Labbé was honoured in Alberta on Monday after her heroic performance in the gold medal penalty shootout against Sweden.

The goalkeeper told the media Team Canada trained penalty shots for 40 days leading into the Tokyo Olympics, knowing it was a very real possibility in the knockout stage.

“It was just like another training session in a sense, there’s just other people on the other side of the ball,” Labbé explained.

“It’s a very educated guess and it worked out in my favour this time.”

Labbé told CTV News Edmonton knowing her team would at least get silver helped her to relax during that high pressure moment.

“We had already made history we got ourselves into that final,” she recalled.

Since the big win, Labbé has returned home to Alberta to personally thank her family, friends and the community that guided her along the way at the Spruce Grove Tri Leisure Centre.

“It was so special not only to have my friends and family here, but to come back to the community that really raised me,” Labbé said.

“They say it takes a village and this is my village.”

“It’s been a great journey,” Bev Labbé, Stephanie’s mom, added.

“It’s been great to watch her grow not only as a soccer player but as a person and we’re just so proud of her.”

Labbé told CTV News she hopes to inspire other young athletes to follow their dreams, saying it’s never too late to pursue what you’re most passionate about.

“Even coming from small towns the biggest dreams are possible,” she said.

“We’re really big fans,” Hailey Campbell, a young soccer player, told CTV News after meeting Labbé.

“She’s my idol,” Addison Chen, a young goalkeeper, added. “I look up to her all the time and it’s so amazing to see such a great Canadian player who’s from here.”

Following a whirlwind few weeks, Labbé also got engaged to Canadian multi-sport Olympian Georgia Simmerling in Jasper.

“This feels like a beautiful place to take my career and maybe start to look at what’s next… and what’s next on the horizon for myself.”

With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Dave Mitchell