Remember the fog of shame and embarrassment that rolled over Canada during an eight-day medal drought at the 2008 Beijing Olympics? It’s time to forget it: Canada’s athletes are proving that this country has a legitimate shot at topping the medal standings in Vancouver.
On Feb. 7, John Kucera became the first Canadian male to win gold at the Federation Internationale de Ski Alpine World Ski Championships. He beat the world’s best in the men’s downhill race in Val d’Isere, France.
That same weekend, Canada’s short-track speed skaters took home four gold medals at a World Cup event in Bulgaria, including golds for both the men’s and women’s relay teams. And Kristina Groves, the long-track speed skater from Ottawa, took silver at the World Allround Championships in Norway.
Canada’s burgeoning success is a welcome change from the disastrous showing at the Beijing Olympics. Throughout those Games, the public was calling for a renewed investment in training facilities to help develop athletes.
But a $120-million investment had already been made, and it was made for athletes training to compete at home in Vancouver. The Canadian Olympic Committee, in a collaborative effort with winter sport organizations across the country, started the "Own the Podium" program in 2005.
The goal is for Canada to be the top medal finisher in the 2010 games that are now less than one year away. Anything short of that will count as a failure.
Canada traditionally fares better at the Winter Olympics, and for obvious reasons – it’s cold here. And we’re constantly improving. We placed fifth th in the medal standings in Nagano in 1998, fourth in Salt Lake City in 2002, and third in Torino in 2006.
But what will it take to make the jump to first, and leapfrog the perennial powerhouses Germany and the United States?
Home field advantage counts for a lot. Canadian athletes are training on the mountains, trails, skating ovals, ice chutes and ski jumps that they will be competing on in 2010.
They will have the competitive advantage of knowing about every divot in the ice and slope in the mountainside. And they can expect raucous Canadian crowds to give them an extra boost.
If the freestyle skiing World Cup event held in early February at the Olympic venue is any indication of how important being on home turf is, Canadians have much to look forward to. Canadian athletes won five of six gold medals.
It seems that rival nations are now really starting to worry about Canada. A recent article in USA Today shows the success of the Own the Podium program:
“The U.S. Olympic team definitely has a new rival, one you might not guess: our easy-going neighbours to the north.”
For Canada to finish on top of the world in Vancouver, our athletes will have to deliver in the sports we’re known for – curling, hockey, figure skating, and speed skating.
But we’ll also need a few surprise wins in our weaker events.
The Olympic torch will be lit on Feb. 12, 2010, and with the success of our athletes, expect a blizzard of pride to blanket the country.