Rochester’s Doonan Family Cries Happy Tears Watching Daughter’s Olympic Win

It's been a long wait for Rochester's Doonan family. Because of COVID-19, they have been waiting for what feels like an eternity to watch Gia Doonan row in the Tokyo Olympic Games. Gia, who grew up in Fairhaven, is one of the rowers on the Women's Eight.

She finally rowed in her first event over the weekend. The United States uncharacteristically came out slow to start the race against the Romanians and Australia, but came storming back to win the race and a guaranteed spot in Thursday's final round.

As Doonan rowed in Tokyo, a half a world away in Rochester, her family breathlessly cheered her on from their home. Although it was 10:30 in the morning (the following day) in Tokyo, it was 11:30 at night here on the SouthCoast.

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What does it feel like to watch your child row, representing her country, in the Olympic Games? Liza Doonan brought us as close as you can get after she posted this video of the family watching the event.

The entire race takes less than five minutes, but it is an emotional roller coaster for not only the Doonan family but for anyone watching. I dare you to try to watch the video above without getting a lump in your throat.

I can't imagine how emotional it must be to watch your child realize their dreams at the Olympic Games, but Liza Doonan gives us a raw look at what it must be like.

With the win this weekend, Team USA Women's Eight will row for the gold on Thursday night at 9 p.m. Eastern. Team USA will be gunning for its fourth gold medal in a row. This is the first Olympics for seven of the eight rowers on the team.