Canada’s Personal the Podium period began with 24 medals the final time the Winter Olympics have been in Italy in 2006.
Twenty years after Turin, the Winter Video games return to Italy at Milano Cortina with Canada attempting to preserve its place close to the highest of the medal desk.
Within the 5 Winter Olympics relationship again to Turin, Canada has at all times completed with at least 24 medals and positioned no decrease than fourth in complete medals.
The Personal the Podium program was created to push Canada to do exactly that at Vancouver 2010, and the outcomes have been sturdy for twenty years.
Nevertheless, Canada got here away with solely 4 gold medals at the final Winter Video games in 2022 in Beijing, the bottom variety of first-place outcomes since a three-gold exhibiting in 1994 in Lillehammer, Norway. Beijing, after all, was a pandemic Olympics — although it is inconceivable to say how a lot the distinctive circumstances and difficult run-up to the Video games affected outcomes.
Final week, the Canadian Olympic Committee set a aim of being a top-five nation in complete medal counts at Summer season and Winter Olympics by 2035. However with authorities funding not rising in recent times, some sport officers have beforehand expressed issues that Canada’s medal haul might take successful at some level.
Will that be this yr? Perhaps. Canada does not seem to have a ton of digital locks, however the nation nonetheless has potential to win in bunches in conventional strengths like short-track speedskating, freestyle snowboarding and snowboarding. Shoreview Sports activities Analytics, per a CBC report final week, initiatives Canada ending fourth within the desk with 27 medals (10 gold, 9 silver, eight bronze). The nation completed with 26 in 2022.
A method to keep away from a letdown could be getting again on observe in curling, hockey and determine skating. Canada obtained simply two medals in 10 mixed occasions in these sports activities final outing after amassing seven medals within the three sports activities in 2018. Canadians have a wealthy custom in these sports activities, however there is not any assure the nation will keep away from a second straight shutout in determine skating.
The opening ceremony goes Friday, however competitors begins Wednesday. This is a glance at Canadian contenders to watch:
Canada received gold within the final two Olympics with NHLers in 2010 and ’14 earlier than doing a lot worse with out gamers from the highest league (bronze in 2018, off the rostrum in 2022). With NHLers again this season, much more eyeballs will probably be on the hockey rink. For a lot of Canadian followers, that is gold or bust.
Canada has taken gold in 5 of the previous six Olympics, however the pink and white are decisive underdogs this yr. The U.S. swept this season’s four-game Rivalry Sequence, and the Individuals received gold at final yr’s world championship. However assuming it is a one-game showdown for all of the marbles between the longtime rivals, you possibly can toss all of the stats out the window. When the stakes are excessive and these groups are on the ice, something can occur.
The final time Canada received gold in males’s curling, Jacobs skipped his then-Northern Ontario rink to the title in 2014 in Sochi, Russia. He returns with an Alberta-based rink this yr to strive to get Canada again on high of the rostrum.
Homan’s Ottawa-based rink simply has been the very best crew in ladies’s curling the previous few years. However Crew Homan fell nicely wanting the Olympic podium in 2018 after incomes the appropriate to signify Canada. Canada has missed the medals on this occasion at the previous two Olympics.
Marielle Thompson (ladies’s ski cross)
After struggling a season-ending knee damage final season, Thompson earned a pair of bronze medals in current World Cup occasions. The Whistler, B.C., native is attempting to add a 3rd Olympic medal to her assortment after taking gold in 2014 and silver in 2022. She’s one in every of Canada’s two flag-bearers at the opening ceremony.
Reece Howden (males’s ski cross)
Howden, from Cultus Lake, B.C., has dominated the World Cup circuit the previous two years. He picked up his twenty second profession gold final week in Switzerland.
Eliot Grondin (males’s snowboard cross)
Grondin received gold at final yr’s world championships, three years after selecting up silver at the Olympics to associate with a bronze within the mixed-team occasion. The Sainte-Marie, Que., boarder is a two-time World Cup season champion.
Mark McMorris (males’s snowboard)
The Regina native captured gold in slopestyle at the Winter X Video games final month, his document twenty fifth profession medal at the occasion. McMorris has received bronze in slopestyle at the previous three Olympics.
Cameron Spalding (males’s snowboard)
The Havelock, Ont., snowboarder received final yr’s World Cup season title in slopestyle. The 20-year-old Spalding will probably be making his Olympic debut.
Laurie Blouin (ladies’s snowboarding)
The Quebec Metropolis native received silver in slopestyle at the 2018 Olympics earlier than ending fourth in 2022. She captured the world championship in massive air in 2017 and gold in 2021.
Valerie Maltais (ladies’s speedskating)
Maltais heads to the Olympics in good type after incomes silver within the mass begin and bronze within the 3,000 at the ultimate World Cup earlier than the Winter Video games. The La Baie, Que., native, Isabelle Weidemann and Ivanie Blondin took gold within the crew pursuit at the 2022 Olympics in Beijing.
Ivanie Blondin (ladies’s speedskating)
The Ottawa native received silver within the mass begin at the 2022 Olympics and had the identical spot on the rostrum in that occasion at the previous three world single-distance championships.
William Dandjinou (males’s short-track speedskating)
4 years after narrowly lacking choice for the Olympic crew, Dandjinou enters these Video games as the very best skater on the planet. The Sherbrooke, Que., native received three golds and one silver at final yr’s world championships.
Steven Dubois (males’s short-track speedskating)
Dubois kinds a powerful 1-2 punch with Dandjinou. After taking a medal of every color at the 2022 Olympics, the Terrebonne, Que., skater received 4 gold medals at final yr’s worlds.
Courtney Sarault (ladies’s short-track speedskating)
The Moncton, N.B., skater received gold within the relay and silver within the 1,000 metres at final yr’s world championships. She’s the daughter of former NHLer Yves Sarault.
Mikael Kingsbury (males’s moguls)
Considered one of Canada’s greatest winter athletes, Kingsbury notched his a hundredth profession World Cup win earlier this season. With twin moguls added to the Olympic program this yr, Kingsbury has two possibilities to add to his three-medal Winter Video games assortment (one gold, two silvers). He’ll be part of Thompson as a Canadian flag-bearer.
Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier (ice dance)
Canada’s greatest bets for a figure-skating medal. The crew received silver at the previous two world championships, however completed fourth at the Grand Prix remaining — the final main occasion earlier than the Olympics.
Abigail Strate (ladies’s ski leap)
The Calgary native has six World Cup medals this season. She was a part of the squad that took bronze at the 2022 Olympic crew occasion for Canada’s first ski leap Winter Video games medal.
Cassie Sharpe (ladies’s freestyle ski halfpipe)
Sharpe, from Comox, B.C., returned to competitors final season after two years off whereas turning into a mom. The 2-time Olympic medallist (gold in 2018, silver in 2022) received bronze at final yr’s world championships.
Megan Oldham (ladies’s freestyle snowboarding)
Oldham, from Parry Sound, Ont., is coming off a bronze-medal win in massive air at the X Video games. She has 4 profession world championship medals in slopestyle and massive air.
Hallie Clarke (ladies’s skeleton)
In 2024, at age 19, Clarke turned the youngest world champion on this occasion’s historical past. She added a world junior gold final yr. She’s not a medal favorite right here, however the Brighton, Ont., native may very well be an upset menace.
Jack Crawford (males’s alpine snowboarding)
The Toronto native has had a little bit of a disappointing season after profitable the famed Kitzbuhel downhill in Austria final yr. He additionally received the super-G at the 2023 world championships.
Cynthia Appiah (ladies’s bobsleigh)
Appiah received a silver in monobob at a World Cup occasion final month in Germany. The Toronto native was eighth in monobob and the two-woman occasion at the 2022 Olympics.
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