VANCOUVER, Canada—After taking two gold medals and a bronze on Friday night in short track speed skating events, Canada now holds 10 gold medals, the most among all countries at the Vancouver Winter Olympics.
Overall on the medal tally, Canada rose from fourth place to third with 21 medals, overtaking Norway. Germany with 27 medals and the United States with 34 medals are still ahead.
A lot of attention has been directed at Canada’s “Own the Podium” program, which sought to help bring Canada the most medals among all countries at the Games. It was the first time Canada had announced such ambitious goals for an Olympic Games, and it brought controversy when early results at the Games showed fewer medals that expected. Some Canadians argued that too much pressure was being placed on athletes.
Canada now has sole share of the gold medal lead at the Vancouver Games. In contrast, Canada won no gold medals at each of the last two Olympics in the country—held in Calgary in 1988 and in Montreal in 1976.
Earlier on Friday, Canada suffered a disappointing loss to Sweden in the gold-medal match for women’s curling. But the sting from that loss was likely forgotten by the evening, when Canadian speed skaters gained three medals and Canada’s men’s hockey team earned a berth in the gold-medal match against the U.S., which is to be played on Sunday.
Canada’s Charles Hamelin won the men’s 500m short-track gold in a wild final at the Pacific Coliseum. Hamelin, who was in second during the final lap, overtook Korea’s Sung Si-Baek just before the finish line as Sung crashed to the wall.
Among the four group A finalists was also America’s most decorated athlete, Apolo Anton Ohno. After an unfortunate start, Ohno was behind the other three skaters. He touched Canadian skater Francois-Louis Tremblay, causing him to fall right before Sung crashed. Although Ohno crossed the finish line in second, he was disqualified for impeding other racers.
Ohno’s team later scored bronze at the men’s 5,000 m short track relay that followed.
Yet it was the Canadians who again took gold in that event, as Hamelin and his fellow Canadian men used a well-timed exchange to put the team ahead of the others.
Overall on the medal tally, Canada rose from fourth place to third with 21 medals, overtaking Norway. Germany with 27 medals and the United States with 34 medals are still ahead.
A lot of attention has been directed at Canada’s “Own the Podium” program, which sought to help bring Canada the most medals among all countries at the Games. It was the first time Canada had announced such ambitious goals for an Olympic Games, and it brought controversy when early results at the Games showed fewer medals that expected. Some Canadians argued that too much pressure was being placed on athletes.
Canada now has sole share of the gold medal lead at the Vancouver Games. In contrast, Canada won no gold medals at each of the last two Olympics in the country—held in Calgary in 1988 and in Montreal in 1976.
Earlier on Friday, Canada suffered a disappointing loss to Sweden in the gold-medal match for women’s curling. But the sting from that loss was likely forgotten by the evening, when Canadian speed skaters gained three medals and Canada’s men’s hockey team earned a berth in the gold-medal match against the U.S., which is to be played on Sunday.
Canada’s Charles Hamelin won the men’s 500m short-track gold in a wild final at the Pacific Coliseum. Hamelin, who was in second during the final lap, overtook Korea’s Sung Si-Baek just before the finish line as Sung crashed to the wall.
Among the four group A finalists was also America’s most decorated athlete, Apolo Anton Ohno. After an unfortunate start, Ohno was behind the other three skaters. He touched Canadian skater Francois-Louis Tremblay, causing him to fall right before Sung crashed. Although Ohno crossed the finish line in second, he was disqualified for impeding other racers.
Ohno’s team later scored bronze at the men’s 5,000 m short track relay that followed.
Yet it was the Canadians who again took gold in that event, as Hamelin and his fellow Canadian men used a well-timed exchange to put the team ahead of the others.
