Derek Drouin poses beside a plaque erected in his honour in Corunna recognizing his bronze medal win in 2012 (BlackburnNews.com file photo)Derek Drouin poses beside a plaque erected in his honour in Corunna recognizing his bronze medal win in 2012 (BlackburnNews.com file photo)
Sarnia

Corunna To Celebrate Derek Drouin Saturday

Corunna residents will welcome home their gold medal Olympian Saturday.

St. Clair Township Mayor Steve Arnold says planning is underway for a parade and meet and greet with high jumper Derek Drouin.

"Saturday at 11am we're going to have a parade for him. It will start where our normal parade routes start at Thompson Gardens on Lyndock St. at Beckwith," said Arnold.

Arnold says the parade will finish with a reception at Antonio's Sports Bar also on Lyndoch St. until 3pm.

"Derek will speak and we will have a chance to make a presentations to him. So we're pretty excited about the whole thing being put together," he says.

The 26-year-old Drouin arrived back in Canada at Toronto's Pearson International Airport Wednesday morning.

According to Arnold, his hometown visit will be a whirlwind.

"He's only with us until the 30th of the month and then he is gone for another month," says Arnold. "He has a lot of stuff going on. As you can imagine, a golden, decorated man like himself is going to be very much in demand."

Drouin didn’t miss a single jump in his Olympic final in Rio, as he soared to the top of the podium with a season-best jump of 2.38 m (7.8 ft).

He’s the first Canadian to win Olympic gold in high jump since Duncan McNaughton in 1932.

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