London dominated these Olympics. What's in the water there?

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Shortly after Damian Warner’s record-breaking decathlon gold medal Thursday, proud Mayor Ed Holder proclaimed London the sports capital of Ontario. 

He shouldn’t have stopped there. 

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Two weeks into the Olympics, the Forest City is officially Canada’s first-place factory. Where would the nation’s Summer Games glee be without multi-event marvel Warner and swimmer Maggie Mac Neil’s thrilling 100-metre butterfly blitz?

The dominant women’s rowing eight crew has all kinds of roots in the southwestern Ontario hub, including reliable mid-boat veteran Susanne (Diesel) Granger and heart-and-soul coach Michelle Darvill.

And who did captain Christine Sinclair call on when the Canadian women’s soccer team needed a nervy penalty kick to knock off the smug Americans in a nail-biting semifinal?

Londoner Jessie Fleming, of course. 

“London has three Olympic gold medals already and potentially four (in soccer with Fleming and defender Shelina Zadorsky),” Mac Neil said. “It’s a huge deal. It’s a tight-knit community. London has everything you need – except maybe an amusement park or two. 

“When it comes to sporting clubs, schools, hospitals — all the essential things — it has it all.”  

You would figure most of Canada’s metro areas — Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Calgary — to lead the medal charge. But London has a long-standing habit of outperforming bigger centres and punching way above its weight class on both the summer and winter world stage.

This is the city’s mightiest menagerie of must-see moments since the Winter Games in B.C. Eleven years ago when Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir won ice dance glory, speed skater Christine Nesbitt cemented her 1,000m legacy and three local hockey stars — Drew Doughty, Jeff Carter, Corey Perry — celebrated Sidney Crosby’s Golden Goal. 

“It starts with character athletes committed to coachability, training and perseverance,” Holder said. “We have world-class coaches, team owners and sponsors providing opportunities and facilities for athletes to excel. London is an international breeding ground of sports excellence.” 

There is no question  it’s a hockey city through and through. The Knights have been the best team in the Ontario Hockey League over the past 20 years and 9,000-seat Budweiser Gardens is a major junior jewel.

No franchise in the world has produced more NHL draft picks than the London club.

“It’s a bigger city but with a small-city feel,” Knights co-owner Mark Hunter, the former Toronto Maple Leafs assistant GM, said. “It’s easy to get around in and has that friendly feel. You like to be here because of the attitude of the people. We have guys like Corey Perry and (Canucks captain) Bo Horvat who live here in the summer time and make their full-time homes here. That’s how great it is.

“The people appreciate these Olympians being so successful and they will be recognized by the city and people of London.” 

There are the obligatory strong high school and grassroots club programs, but a lot of centres have those, too. One of London’s biggest advantages is the number of enthusiastic sport-minded volunteers in the community who care and get involved.

A large chunk of them are in the academic stream.

Damian Warner’s personal coach Gar Leyshon was his English teacher at Montcalm high school. He wasn’t necessarily a track and field buff, but his dad Glynn ran the national wrestling program for years so he grew up valuing what sport can teach kids.

There are no 9,018-point decathlons and Olympic record without his influence, the team surrounding Warner, the strong London Western and London Legion track clubs and a top-notch university around the corner.

“In the sports of track and field and rowing in particular, the association with Western has been very important,” said Angela Schneider, a professor and the director of the International Centre for Olympic Studies housed at Western. “The Mustangs track and field coach Vickie Croley has been a pivotal force in supporting and training top class athletes (including Warner). Three national rowing team and Olympic coaches have come from the university (Al Morrow, Volker Nolte and Lesley Thompson-Willie) and an international umpire Bill Donegan who is in Tokyo for the Games.” 

Grainger, who rowed at Central high school for Mustangs coach Bob Ward, and her teammates would never have left the city except Rowing Canada moved the women’s rowing headquarters out west four years ago after a three-decade run at Fanshawe Lake. 

Marnie McBean, Canada’s current Olympic chef de mission, lived and trained in London during her career.

Warner, except for a two-year stint in Calgary, stayed in his hometown, even when it meant dodging pucks at Thompson Arena and making do with 66-year-old Farquharson Arena during pandemic restrictions.

“I had a group of people going through the same thing I was this year and they were dedicated to working hard,” he said. “It was necessary for me to have them in order to get through that winter training.” 

When Mac Neil went from the backyard pool to fast lane with the London Aquatic Club, she leaned on head coach Andrew Craven. He had previously guided Paralympic champ Adam Purdy and Olympians like Joe Bartoch and Richard Hortness.

The Banting grad had overtures to train in Toronto as a teen, but was comfortable at home until signing on at the University of Michigan. Now, she wants to inspire the next generation in her stomping grounds to do the same.

“I know all the youngsters from my club team were celebrating at the drive-in (last week) watching me. I just want to show them anything is possible. I started exactly where they did and this is where I am now. As long as you are motivated to put in the work and want to do so and are having fun, that’s the most important part.

“You can pretty much accomplish anything you want.” 

And if you’re from London these days, you’re already blessed with a pretty good head start.

rpyette@postmedia.com