As Canada prepares to watch its athletes go for gold at the Olympics in Vancouver starting on Feb. 12, the National Post looks back at the 39 gold medals the nation has won in Winter Games history. 

Name  Myriam Bédard

Olympics  1994 at Lillehammer, Norway

Event  Biathlon: women's 7.5K sprint and 15K sprint

The setting  After capturing the bronze medal in the 15K sprint at the 1992 Games in Albertville, a stronger, more determined Bédard returned to the Olympic stage hungry for more.

On the day  Always a fan of the solidary nature of the biathlon, Bédard did not disappoint in Lillehammer. The 24-year-old exceeded her dreams in the sport, first taking gold in the 15-kilometre sprint and following up with an equally dominant performance in the 7.5K sprint. The performance earned her the Lou Marsh Trophy that year as top Canadian athlete.

Afterlife  Bédard's post-Olympic life has certainly been stormy. She became embroiled in Canada's sponsorship scandal in 2004 after she claimed she was forced to leave her job with Via Rail in 2002 after questioning the company's dealings with scandalized advertiser GroupAction. 

Her comments, in part, led to the dismissals of Via Rail chairperson Jean Pelletier and president Marc LeFrançois. In 2006, an arrest warrant was issued for Bédard after she allegedly kidnapped her own daughter. She was found guilty the following year of violating a child custody order and given a conditional discharge and two years' probation.

Dave Yasvinski, National Post