Canada’s performance at the winter Olympics in Torino, Italy was impressive, with an amazing 24 medals, one shy of the Canadian Olympic Committee’s optimistic prediction. Not only did Canadian athletes have the third-largest number of podium finishes, but many of our athletes, while not medaling, achieved personal bests or finished very close to the podium.
Canadian women had a great showing, including Cindy Klassen’s five medals and the Canadian women’s ice hockey gold medal. This demonstrates the success of Canada’s equal of women’s sports. It was clear at these Games that nations are beginning to recognize the importance of funding women’s sports, and hopefully in Vancouver in 2010, countries will be sending more female athletes to compete.
The greatest disappointment of the Games for Canada was undoubtedly the men’s ice hockey team’s failure to medal. While the focus has been on Wayne Gretzky and his team selection, the fact of the matter is, several good teams were vying for the podium and Canada simply did not play up to par.
The focus has been on medals, but we cannot forget the personal bests and close finishes our athletes achieved. With any luck, Canada’s performance in Torino is a precursor to even greater things in Vancouver.
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