Long-track team fell short of expectations

Last Updated: Monday, March 1, 2010 | 4:59 AM ET

By Brandon Hicks, CBC Sports

The Canadian women's pursuit team, heavily favoured to win gold, was upset by the Americans in the quarter-finals. (Jasper Juinen/Getty Images)

At the Torino Winter Olympics in 2006, the Canadian long-track speedskating team walked away with eight medals: two gold, four silver and two bronze.

Heading into Vancouver, high hopes were put on the team to match or exceed that total. But after the final events at the Richmond Olympic Oval, the speedskaters wound up with five medals — well below expectations with two gold, one silver and two bronze.

For Canada's long-track team, the Vancouver Olympics will be remembered more for the medals that got away, than the victories it scored.

A year ago, Denny Morrison of Fort St. John, B.C., was the challenger to American Shani Davis's dominance in the men's 1,000 metres and the 1,500. But he struggled on the World Cup circuit this season and was hoping to get it together for those two races in Vancouver.

It didn't happen. Morrison wound up 13th in the 1,000 and ninth in the 1,500, his best race. Davis took gold in the 1,000 but was upset by Mark Tuitert of the Netherlands in the 1,500.

"It's kind of frustrating to be getting closer and closer to the Olympics and know that I'm skating poorer and poorer, especially when I get tired," Morrison said.

Coming up short

Jeremy Wotherspoon of Red Deer, Alta., is the greatest World Cup speedskater ever, but he will remain without Olympic gold after coming up short in the 500 (ninth) and the 1,000 (14th). Wotherspoon, 33, competed in his fourth Olympic Games and has one silver medal to show for it.

Ottawa's Kristina Groves, Canada's best long-track speedskater coming into Vancouver, was pegged to possibly win five medals at the Games. She walked away with a silver and a bronze, but no gold.

The individual race that may sting her and the Canadian team the most is the women's 1,500. Groves was favoured to win and was expected to be challenged by another Canadian, Christine Nesbitt of London, Ont.

But Groves couldn't beat Ireen Wust of the Netherlands for the gold, and Nesbitt ran out of gas, winding up sixth. Groves took the silver, to go along with a bronze in the 3,000.

It got worse in the women's team pursuit, in which Canada was the heavy favourite. The team of Groves, Nesbitt and Brittany Schussler of Winnipeg was shockingly eliminated by the Americans in the quarter-final, and Germany took gold.

"This is one of the biggest disappointments I've experienced in my skating career," said Groves, calling it a "bummer."

Golden linings

But there were still some positive things at the Olympics that Canadian speedskating can draw from, moving forward.

Nesbitt's golden skate in the 1,000 will be remembered as one of the gutsiest at the Games. She expended every ounce of energy she had to clip Annette Gerritsen of the Netherlands by just 2-100ths of a second for the victory.

"I'm always looking at my races and wanting to improve all the time, and I wanted to improve so I could win the Olympics," Nesbitt said.

The 24-year-old will definitely be a factor on the team for the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi, Russia.

Clara Hughes, who carried Canada's flag at the opening ceremony, gave the Oval something to roar about when she won a bronze medal in the 5,000, the final race of her Olympic career.

The 37-year-old, now living in Glen Sutton, Que., tied teammate Cindy Klassen's all-time record for a Canadian with a sixth career Olympic medal.

"That was awesome," a beaming Hughes said afterward. "That was the best I had, that was one of the best races I've ever done."

Klassen, from Winnipeg, claimed a victory by just being at the Olympics, as the 30-year-old is coming off double knee surgery. The six-time Olympic medallist was serenaded by the crowd every time she stepped on the ice.

"Every time a Canadian would step onto the ice, they'd go wild and we're so grateful for that," Klassen said.

Surprise of the Games?

Finally, the biggest surprise: The Canadian men's pursuit team, consisting of Morrison, Lucas Makowsky of Regina and Mathieu Giroux of Montreal pulled off a gold-medal victory on the last day of competition at the Oval, beating the Americans in the final.

It was arguably the most surprising gold medal won by Canada at the Olympics, and gave the men a measure of redemption after coming up empty-handed in the individual races.

"It was cool to be able to come together after a rough week with no medals for any of the men on the team," said Morrison. "To come away with gold as a team, there's no better way to finish off the Olympics for us."

That made for a golden end to the Olympics for Canada at the Oval, but most will probably still look at the Vancouver Games as the "one that got away" for the Canadian long-track speedskating team.