Yes, yes, Canada was going to own the podium, but what Canada owns at the Olympics is fourth- and fifth-place finishes. If there were medals handed out for missing it by that much, we'd be on top of the world.
EMAIL
| PRINT
| REPORT TYPO
| SEND YOUR FEEDBACK
|
O Canada, go fourth and conquer
- February 22, 2010 1:35 PM |
- By Joe O'Connor
Story provided by
Yes, yes, Canada was going to own the podium, but what Canada owns at the Olympics is fourth- and fifth-place finishes. If there were medals handed out for missing it by that much, we'd be on top of the world. We'd by No. 1, instead of No. 4, or 5. Erik Guay, the skier, has two fifths, Mellisa Hollingsworth was fifth, the flying Hamelin brothers were fourth and fifth in the same short-track race, while Chris Del Bosco face-planted and finished fourth in ski cross. Heartbreak and missed podiums abound. Tears are being shed. But dry your eyes Canada. Being fifth, or fourth, isn't so bad. Below, a list of famous fourth- and fifth-place finishers.
1. Pete Best (the Fifth Beatle)
2. Brazil (the fifth largest country in the world)
3. Madonna (has released four greatest hits albums)
4. Ron Paul (Republican presidential candidate finished fifth in New Hampshire primary)
5. I Am Ozzy (Ozzy Osbourne biography currently fourth on The New York Times non-fiction best seller list)
6. Meat Loaf's Bat Out of Hell (fifth best selling album of all time)
7. Germany (ranked as fourth best country to live in by Quality of Life Index)
8. Fourth Estate (term used to describe the press, the esteemed watch dog of government -- and Olympic events)
9. Earth (the fifth largest planet in the Solar System)
10. Henry IV (King of France, 1589 - 1610, nicknamed Henry the Great)
About the Author
- Joe O'Connor Joe O'Connor is a roving sports feature writer with an open-ended beat. He joined the National Post in 2002, and has spent the past seven years bouncing from sport to sport, offering fresh perspectives and delivering unique stories wherever he goes. Whether it has been getting Don Cherry to open up about his love life; George Chuvalo to talk about heartbreaking loss; or racing down the side of a mountain with former Crazy Canuck, Dave Irwin, the veteran Postie chases a story wherever it leads. Before joining the newspaper he was a two-time silver medalist at the National Magazine Awards. Vancouver will be his first Olympics.
Recent Entries
- Lessons from the hilltop
- At the Olympics, the taboos get tossed out the window. People never save the last sugary treat. And journalists clap. Sometimes they come precariously close to hooting and hollering for their team. National pride is at stake at the Olympics,... Continue reading this post
- Brian McKeever's Olympic dream over
- It was a story that everyone gravitated to, a story that was impossible to resist. The final chapter was supposed to be written on Sunday morning when Brian McKeever, a legally blind and impossibly brave Canadian cross country skier, would... Continue reading this post
- The Show must go Vonn
- It happens before every Olympics, and it happens with every nation. We all pick out poster boys and girls to carry the medal hopes, pump up the home crowd and generate some buzz for a quadrennial Winter carnival that blends... Continue reading this post
