With great fanfare on Tuesday, Team Canada revealed which hockey players will defend the country’s Olympic gold medal won at the Vancouver winter games in 2010. One month away from the Olympics in Sochi, Russia, Canada has not finalized the complete list of athletes who will be competing. But it has high hopes of improving on the medal count achieved at the Vancouver Olympics in 2010.
Canada took 14 gold medals, more than any other country, and overall, Canadian athletes won 26 medals. That was the 8th consecutive improvement at winter games.
Canada “on track” to win more medals
“We believe we’re on track and confident that we can win more medals than we won in Vancouver,” said Anne Merklinger, a former member of Canada’s national swim team, retired curler and CEO of Own the Podium. That’s a program that was created ahead of the Vancouver games to provide technical guidance and support for athletes and to try to improve Canada’s medal count. The program continues to help athletes competing in summer and winter Olympic and Paralympic games.
Canada’s strengths
Canada’s strengths are in short track speed skating, freestyle and snowboard disciplines, figure skating and in team sports like men’s and women’s hockey and curling.
There is a new team figure skating event that Canada is well placed to challenge. It involves men’s singles, women’s singles and a dance. “Those three disciplines are very strong for Canada,” said Merklinger. “We have tremendous depth in figure skating. That’s another terrific opportunity for Canada to climb the podium.”
And there is a new luge relay. Although Canada has never won a medal in luge it has done very well in luge relay in competitive events leading up to the Olympics.
Athlete overcomes injury, “stronger than ever”
Drama will surround bobsleigh gold medallists Kaillie Humphries and Heather Moyse. Moyse had major surgery for a hip injury and is said to be back stronger than ever and ready to defend their title.
“Every athlete that goes to the games and comes back with a medal will serve as an inspiration for Canadian youth and for Canadian communities,” said Merklinger. “We can hardly wait for the games to get underway.”
The Sochi Olympics begin on February 7th.
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