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.
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When we Owned the Podium: Kerrin Lee-Gartner
- February 27, 2010 6:38 PM |
- By John Shmuel
Story provided by
Name Kerrin Lee-Gartner
Olympics 1992 Albertville, France
Event Women's downhill
The Setting Alpine skiing for both men and women debuted as an Olympic sport in 1936 at Garmisch-Partenkirchen, and downhill was designated a separate event in 1948. Leading into 1992, no Canadian had ever won downhill gold.
On the day: Twenty-to-one odds. That's what the books in Las Vegas said of Lee-Gartner taking gold in the event. And for good reason. The 25-year-old had endured seemingly-endless knee operations (including two complete reconstructions) since joining the Canadian Women's Ski Team in 1982. She had also only had one podium finish in 10 years on the World Cup circuit.
Heading in, Germany's Katja Seizinger and Austria‚s Petra Kronberger were considered the frontrunners for gold.
But unfortunately for them, a particular element of Lee-Gartner's skiing style would pay off at the Games. She was known for having a nerve going down, and was particularly strong on her turns. Those traits were indispensible on the treacherous Méribel downhill course. Nicknamed the Iron Rock, the official alpine venue for the Albertville Games was a beast to navigate, and is still considered among the most difficult courses in Olympic history.
Lee-Gartner, the 12th skier to go down, surprised everyone when she finished 0.12 seconds ahead of Seizinger. Surprise turned to utter disbelief when Hilary Lindh of the U.S., who was off in the 16th spot, almost surpassed Lee-Gartner herself with a time just 0.06 seconds of the lead.
Lee-Gartner ended up claiming gold while Lindh joined her on the podium with silver. It was Canada's first (and to this day, only) gold in downhill.
Afterlife Lee-Gartner, now 42, is currently Alpine Canada's chief athletics officer. She also has two teenage daughters, both of whom are junior racers. During the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games, Lee-Gartner is working as a broadcaster for the BBC.
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.
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