Canada’s Montgomery Flies Headfirst to the Top of the Podium
Racing head first at 140 km/h on an icy slope, Canadians should be good at the skeleton, a sport that many find a little too crazy — hence its 54 year absence from the Olympic Games. Canada, the defending champs, aimed to capture a second gold medal in as many games in the skeleton. Canada’s Duff Gibson won the gold in the 2006 winter games, and Jon Montgomery defended the Olympic title this week at the Whistler Sliding Centre. Montgomery trailed the Latvian, Martins Dukurs, throughout the first three heats but chipped away at the lead. The auctioneer from Manitoba set a track record in his third heat with 52.20 seconds, and pulled off a medal winning run in the final heat, taking over the top spot with a total time of 3 minutes and 29.73 seconds. After Dukurs’ final run, the difference between Montgomery and Dukurs was a mere 7/100ths of a second, locking in the gold medal for Canada. The Latvian won the silver, blaming home track advantage, while Alexander Trtyakov of Russia took home the bronze. Fellow Canadian Jeff Pain finished in ninth place, and Mike Douglas was disqualified for failing an inspection of his sled. Montgomery commented on the experience as a whole: “That was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that will be the pinnacle, I’m sure, of my sporting career because I’ll never have another opportunity to compete in the Olympics at home in front of Canadians. That was the be-all and end-all for me.”
Women Speed skaters Nesbitt and Groves Win Medals in 1,000m and 1,500m
The Canadian speed skating team suffered quite a demoralizing blow when medal hopeful Denny Morrison finished 13th in the men’s 1 000m earlier on in week one. The team’s spirits were lifted, however, as Christine Nesbitt heard the Canadian national anthem at the medal ceremony and received the gold medal for her performance in the women’s 1 000m at the Richmond Olympic Oval. Nesbitt has been clutch all season, winning the World Cup and going into the Olympics ahead of the pack. The final race started with Nesbitt slipping up, causing her to play catch-up. Nonetheless, she came back with the help of a draft from her race pair, German Monique Angermuller, finishing first with a time of 1 minute and 16.56 seconds; 0.02 seconds ahead of Dutchwoman Annette Gerritsen. Laurine van Riessen finished third place, ahead of Canadian Kristina Groves who finished 0.06 seconds short of a medal. Despite the win, Nesbitt was critical of her run and was already concentrating on how to improve for the 1 500m race after the medal ceremony. The 1 500m did not go so well for Nesbitt, as she finished 6th; however, Groves finished second and won the silver medal. Ireen Wust of the Netherlands won gold with a time of 1:56.89, followed by Groves in 1:57.14. The Czech Republic’s Martina Sablikova won bronze in 1:57.96. Winnipeg’s Brittany Schussler finished in 35th with a time of 2:04.17. After losing an edge on her skate before the race, she had to get it fixed which kept her from warming up. Still recovering from knee surgery, Cindy Klassen finished 21st in a time of 2:00.67. The winner of 5 medals in the Turin Olympics has been trying to find her winning form, but has not done so.
Alexandre Bilodeau Wins First Ever Gold on Canadian Soil
It didn’t take long for Canada to win its first ever gold medal on home soil. Unable to do so at Montreal’s Summer Olympics of 1976 and Calgary’s Winter Olympics of 1988, Canada was finally awarded their first gold medal at home. Alexandre Bilodeau played the role of the hero, winning the men’s Mogul finals last Sunday. Bilodeau beat out defending champion Dale Begg-Smith from Australia with a score of 26.75. Begg-Smith and Bilodeau were neck and neck on their turn and air scores, but the French-Canadian from Rosemere, Quebec finished the course at a much faster pace. The moment will be played over and over during the remainder of the Olympics and in the future as well — after all, Bilodeau has become a national hero. His win came 24 hours later than most thought it would, as the very same moguls were subject to gold medal hopeful Jennifer Heil, who settled for a silver medal. Bilodeau’s coach, Dominick Gauthier, had this to say about the gold medal victory: “It’s so big for Canada. Since the beginning and for Jenn yesterday, these games are all about Canada. Now the first gold is won.”
Bilodeau thanks his brother for his success, who has cerebral palsy, a physical disability that renders him physically incapable of simple movements. “Even if it’s raining, I’ll take it, I’ll go train,” Bilodeau said. “He doesn’t have that chance, and he’s having a smile every morning he wakes up.” It has helped him keep perspective after winning a world championship but also finishing 11th in the Turin Olympics.
Maelle Ricker Wins Gold in Snowboard Cross
Arguably one of the more exciting sports at the Winter Olympics, snowboard cross has been dominated by Canadian women for the past two Olympic Games. Dominique Maltais won the gold in Turin with Maelle Ricker finishing in a disappointing 4th place, but the 2010 games were much more promising for Ricker. As the hometown girl, Ricker gathered huge support from the Vancouver locals on Cypress Mountain and she did not let her fans down. She qualified for the finals with hardly any problems and the finals were no different. Ricker pulled ahead right out of the gate and didn’t look back. She kept and increased her lead as the race continued yet kept a solid run without any mistakes. After Canada’s, and more specifically, Alexandre Bilodeau’s first gold medal win on home soil, Ricker becomes the first woman to ever accomplish the feat. “It was incredible. The crowd was amazing. It was a really good time,” Ricker told reporters just minutes after winning the race. “It’s a dream come true… I feel so fortunate to be a Canadian athlete.”
On the men’s side of the snowboard cross, Mike Robertson won the silver medal when it looked as though he was going to win the gold. After qualifying for the final and taking the lead for the majority of the final race, Robertson lost his edge after a jump and was taken over by the American Seth Wescott. After all, the sport is known for its unpredictable twists. He held on the win the silver but was not too disappointed. “Whatever, I’m second. … My expectations were just to come here and have fun and enjoy the show. It’s the Olympics. It’s apparently a big deal. I’m stoked,” is how he said it. “I guess I’m a pretty mellow dude. But I’m burning up inside for sure.”
Tragic Accident Occurs as Georgian Luger Dies During Practice Run
Instead of cheering on Nodar Kumaritashvili, a 21 year old luger, Georgians had to mourn his death after the promising young athlete crashed and died during a practice run just prior to the start of the Olympic Games. Kumaritashvili was having a routine practice run when he lost control of his sled, flew off the course and into a steel pole at nearly 145 km/h. Medics ran on to the scene but it was much too late as Kumaritashvili died almost instantly after the collision. Thousands of mourners assembled at his family’s house in Georgia to support his relatives through the tough time. He had a long history of family participation in the sport of luging, and he also joined the family sport in hopes of becoming an Olympic champion. “We’re a small town and we all cheered for him so much when he grew up to be a great sportsman,” said Kumaritashvili’s neighbour, his eyes tearing up as the local hero was buried Saturday. Despite his young age, his family and friends described him as an experienced luger, and they blamed his death on the course’s design. The $100 million dollar venue has been under much scrutiny over the past few months, some claiming that the design of the course is too technically demanding and that only Canadians would be able to practice on track. “It’s just fast, it’s like 15 mph faster than anywhere else in the world,” said Shauna Rohbock, an American bobsledder, said after her first training run Saturday. “It’s just curve after curve after curve. It’s definitely not the safest track but everyone has to go down the same.”
