ROAD TO PYEONGCHANG
ICE DANCE DARLINGS TESSA VIRTUE AND SCOTT MOIR TO CARRY CANADA’S FLAG AT WINTER GAMES.
• Not since Kurt Browning at the 1994 Lillehammer Games has a figure skater carried the Canadian flag into an opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics.
Next month, there will be not one, but two skaters — ice dance darlings Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir — leading the way with the red- and- white Maple Leaf as Canada’s Olympic team begins its medal quest at the Pyeongchang Games in South Korea.
The eight- time national champions and three- time world c hampions were i ntroduced Tuesday at a news conference in Ottawa where Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was beaming as he made the announcement.
Being given the honour of carrying the flag made coming out of retirement a couple years ago for the Games the best decision ever, even before lacing up to compete, said Virtue.
“It’s a good thing we decided to come back and it is certainly incredibly rewarding,” she said. “I mean, it doesn’t get any better than this.”
Their entrance in Pyeongchang on Feb. 9 will mark the first time a Canadian duo carries the flag into an opening ceremony.
“The honour of carrying the Canadian flag ... brings with it a sense of duty, privilege, and above all, great pride,” Virtue said.
Virtue, 28, and Moir, 30, made their Olympic debut eight years ago on home ice in Vancouver, where they captured a gold medal and became household names. They won ice dance silver four years ago in Sochi and added another silver in the team event.
They say they will retire after the Games in Pyeongchang.
Carrying the flag into the opening ceremony will put some pressure on the duo to perform to their highest ability, Moir said.
“But we like that,” he said. “We put as much pressure on ourselves as we can and we’re going to be ready for the opportunity.”
INCREDIBLY REWARDING. I MEAN, IT DOESN’T GET ANY BETTER.