Best Olympics ever for Team Canada
PYEONGCHANG, Korea, Republic Of — Canadians won a record 29 medals in Pyeongchang riding the afterburn of their country hosting the Winter Olympics eight years ago.
The previous high for Canada was 26 at the 2010 Games in Vancouver and Whistler, B.C. Those Games at home had a hybrid effect on Canada’s team in 2018.
Some veteran athletes had spent over a decade in a sport system overhauled pre-2010 to make Canada a winter sport powerhouse. Among the 110 rookies on Canada’s team of 225, many were inspired by Vancouver and just entering a sport environment that paved a path from playground to podium.
With 11 gold, eight silver and 10 bronze, Canada finished third in the overall medal table and in gold medals won behind Norway’s 39 (14-14-11) and runner-up Germany at 31 (14-10-7).
“Our athletes have made history at these Games,” Canadian Olympic Committee president Tricia Smith said. “From a country chasing the powerhouse nations, we are now proudly in the top group growing in strength and contending for No. 1. And we’ll keep going.”
The Canadian Press predicted 29 medals with a breakdown of nine gold, 10 silver and 10 bronze.
Germany went into the Games as the country to beat, but Norway was out front early, scooping up cross-country, biathlon and alpine ski medals.
Canada was largely powered by individuals or teams of two. The hockey and curling teams didn’t defend the four gold medals won in Sochi, Russia.
Kim Boutin of Sherbrooke, Que., carried Canada’s flag in Sunday’s closing ceremonies after winning a silver medal and two bronze in short-track speedskating.
But if a plane could be turned into a parade float, ice dancers Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir would be riding it back to Canada. Social media couldn’t get enough of the charismatic duo, who delivered an incredible free skate for gold.
Snowboarder Sebastian Toutant, freestyle skiers Mikael Kingsbury, Cassie Sharpe, Kelsey Serwa (who hails from Kelowna) and Brady Leman and speedskaters Ted-Jan Bloemen and Sam Girard won gold medals.
John Morris and Kaitlyn Lawes won the first gold in mixed doubles curling to take the sting out of Kevin Koe and Rachel Homan getting shut out in team curling.
Justin Kripps from Summerland and Alexander Kopacz tied for gold in men’s twoman bobsled. The only large-team gold for Canada was from the figure skating squad.
The women’s hockey team lost a heartbreaking shootout to the United States in the final for silver while the men’s team claimed bronze in a tournament devoid of NHL players.
Alex Gough won Canada’s first-ever medal in luge with a bronze in women’s singles. She also collected silver in the team relay.
Alex Harvey was agonizingly close to Canada’s first medal in men’s cross-country skiing when he finished fourth in Saturday’s 50K.
The COC’s messaging for the 2018 team was “Be Virtuous, be Victorious, be Olympic.”
In championing clean sport, Smith urged the International Olympic Committee to not let Russia off the hook for alleged state-sponsored doping in 2014.
She did not want the Russians, competing under a neutral flag and colours, to get their national flag back for the closing ceremonies. The IOC voted not to reinstate the Russian flag just hours before the grand finale.
Canada’s principled stance was dented Saturday when skicross racer Dave Duncan and high-performance director Willy Raine were arrested, and eventually released, for allegedly stealing a vehicle and drunk driving early Saturday morning.
There was disappointment for Canada. The shocker was the curling teams missing the podium for the first time since the sport returned to the Winter Games in 1998.
Chris Del Bosco and India Sherret were both involved in major skicross crashes. They had to be taken off the course on stretchers before going to hospital.