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: Marc Gagnon
- February 13, 2010 5:18 PM |
- By Erin Valois
Story provided by
Name Marc Gagnon
Olympics 2002 at Salt Lake City, Utah
Event Short-track speed skating, men's 500 metres
The setting Gagnon came into the Olympics as a four-time world champion and the leader of a strong Canadian short-track team expected to dominate the podium. But in Salt Lake, the promise of a medal haul for Canada was not looking good -- the men's hockey team lost to Sweden, speed skater Jeremy Wotherspoon had a bad fall and Gagnon was disqualified from the 1,000 metres, after a collision involving a Japanese skater.
On the day Gagnon had collected a bronze in the 1,500-metre race and won a gold in the relay -- but was still searching for his first career gold medal in an individual event. He overtook American Rusty Smith with half a lap remaining to win first place.
Afterlife Gagnon retired after the 2002 Olympics, becoming one of the most decorated Canadian Olympic athletes in history with five medals -- three gold and two bronze.
Photo: Marc Gagnon won his first career individual gold medal at the 2002 Olympics. Timothy A. Clary/AFP/Getty Images
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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