There has been much ink spilled over Canadians puffing out their chests more than ever during these Olympics.
EMAIL
| PRINT
| REPORT TYPO
| SEND YOUR FEEDBACK
|
Canada's Olympic team defined by unlucky breaks
- February 21, 2010 5:08 PM |
- By Erin Valois
Story provided by
By Eric Koreen, National Post
There has been much ink spilled over Canadians puffing out their chests more than ever during these Olympics. As Bruce Arthur wrote on Saturday, Vancouver has become a veritable sea of red and white. It is a bit surprising given our nation's penchant for modesty, and refreshing, too.
Most Canadians seem to be fully invested in the Olympics. The downside to that: When you are fully invested, you can be hurt more easily. And there have been plenty of occasions these Olympics where medals could be clearly seen coming in on the horizon, only to disappear. These are gut-punch moments:
Chris Del Bosco, men's ski-cross: The most recent to lose grasp of a medal, Del Bosco appeared on his way to a bronze medal in Sunday's race. And then on the second-last jump, Del Bosco popped up into the air off balance and came crashing to the snow. He wound up finishing fourth in the race.
Mike Robertson, men's snowboard cross: In each of his preliminary races, Robertson got off to a good start and cruised to qualification for the next round. In the final of the event, once more he got off to a great start, leading most of the race. Then, in the final third of the race, American Seth Westcott passed Robertson, even thought it was not apparent Robertson made any significant mistake. Westcott just went faster. Robertson still won the silver medal.
Mellisa Hollingsworth, women's skeleton: Hollingsworth was a heavy favourite in the event, and came into the last of four runs in second place. But Hollingsworth hit a wall hard early in the run, and from there, her attempt at a medal was shot. She finished fifth in the event. Her heart-breaking post-race expressions of disappointment made the result even tougher to take.
Alpine ski team: You could pick any number of results here. There was local boy Manny Osborne-Paradis' disappointing run in the downhill, or his crash in the Super-G. There was Eric Guay finishing fifth in both events, missing the podium in the Super-G by 3-100ths of a second. There was Emily Brydon crashing in her last Olympic race in the women's Super-G. Only a masochistic Canadian skiing fan could have enjoyed the week in skiing.
Charles and Francois Hamelin, men's 1,000-metre short track speedskating: With five skaters in the field and two of them Canadian, there was only one result in the race that could have left Canada without a ninth medal of the Games. Alas, the Hamelin brothers finished fourth and fifth, with Charles losing the bronze after being passed on the final lap.
There is no doubt that the Olympians themselves are having a far-tougher time with the results than the fans are. However, those that are decked out in the red have to be developing a fear of having the wind knocked out of them.
About the Author
- Bruce Arthur Bruce Arthur is the National Post's national sports columnist. A Vancouver native, he has been with the Post since 2001, and a columnist since 2005. He is covering his second Olympics, after the 2008 Games in Beijing. He expects these Games to be slightly less propagandistic, and for China to win slightly fewer medals.
- 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
- To Iginla, Crosby's call sounded like gold
- "Iggy!" It's a scream Jarome Iginla has heard many times in his career. But never this loudly, never with so much urgency.... Continue reading this post
- Olympic Memories: Heartbreak and triumph
- For all the moments that made you so damned happy you wanted to cry -- the triumph of Alex Bilodeau and his brother Frederic, the delirium of Marianne St-Gelais as she watched her boyfriend Charles Hamelin win gold, the pure... Continue reading this post
- Olympic Memories: The strength of a lion
- It happened in a blink. A skier was skittering down a steep and icy slope at Whistler Olympic Park and disappeared into the woods.... Continue reading this post
