Courtney Sarault on her inspiring Olympics: 'It has made everyone dream a little bigger'

“On the go” since earning her fourth and final medal at the Milano-Cortina Olympics on Feb. 18, it wasn’t until Courtney Sarault returned to her hometown of Moncton, N.B., that she understood the impact of her speed skating success.

Kids at the Arthur-J.-LeBlanc Centre in Dieppe, the rink where Sarault got her start in the sport, were so excited they cried when she surprised them on the ice during practice in March. Sarault then spent nearly two hours talking to people and taking pictures.

The following night, the City of Dieppe installed a banner in the arena to commemorate her Olympic performance. The next day, the City of Moncton invited the public to gather at Downtown Place, outside the Avenir Centre.

It was cold and snowing but several people stood in line to share a few minutes with Sarault, a 25-year-old two-time Olympian.

“It was such a special moment,” Sarault, who lives and trains in Montreal, said during a visit to CBC Sports headquarters in Toronto on Tuesday. “I didn’t realize the impact I had on the city. To see [people] support me in not very good weather was incredible.

“I think it was three or four hours of taking pictures. And then I did a [ceremonial] puck drop at the Moncton Wildcats [Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League] game.”

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During her stay, Sarault also visited her high school where about a month earlier students and staff at Bernice MacNaughton High School held a watch party for her attempt at a fifth Olympic medal in Italy.

She recalled one female student, passionate about music, sharing with Sarault that the latter’s accomplishments made the youngster feel she could make it big in the music industry outside Moncton.

“It has