Between February 12 and 28, 2010, Vancouver and Whistler, British Columbia, hosted the Olympic Winter Games. The Canadian Olympic Committee had a total of 202 participants compete in 15 different sports.
The Canadian team earned a total of 26 medals, good enough for third place (14 gold medals, seven silver medals and five bronze medals). In the history of the Olympic Winter Games, Canada’s performance in these games was unprecedented, as the country took home a record-breaking 14 gold medals.
2010 Olympic Speed Skating Gold Medalist
On February 14, 2010, Alexandre Bilodeau created Canadian sporting history by being the first Canadian to win an Olympic gold medal in Canada. After Jean-Luc Brassard of Canada won gold in moguls at the 1994 Olympic Winter Games in Lillehammer, Bilodeau took first place in the men’s competition.
A silver medal in women’s moguls made Jennifer Heil the first Canadian freestyle skier to earn multiple Olympic medals in her career. At the 2006 Winter Olympics in Torino, Heil had already won gold.
The Sport of Racing on Skates (Long Track and Short Track)
In long track and short track speed skating, Canadians dominated the 2010 Olympics, bringing home a total of ten medals. This was more than a third of Canada’s total medal haul of 26 at the Vancouver Olympics.
Men’s 500-meter short track speed skaters Charles Hamelin and Francois-Louis Tremblay won gold and bronze, respectively. They also won the men’s 5000-meter relay with Franois Hamelin, Guillaume Bastille, and Olivier Jean.
Snowboarding
When Malle Ricker of Canada won the women’s snowboard cross event on February 16, 2010, she made history as the first Canadian woman to win a gold medal at an Olympic Games held in Canada.
When Jasey-Jay Anderson, at 34 years old, won the men’s parallel giant slalom at the Olympics, he set a record as the oldest gold medallist in Olympic snowboarding history. Mathieu Bozzetto, a 36-year-old Frenchman, won a bronze medal in snowboarding at the Olympics, making him the oldest snowboarder to ever win an Olympic medal.
Olympic Sliding (Bobsled and Skeleton)
The women’s bobsled event saw gold and silver medalists from the same country for the first time in Olympic history.
Silver went to Helen Upperton and Shelly-Ann Brown of the United Kingdom, and gold to Kaillie Humphries and Heather Moyse of Canada. Moyse made history when she won an Olympic medal for Prince Edward Island.
Hockey
The Canadian ladies went undefeated in five games, outscoring their foes 48-2. Team Canada’s excellent defensive play helped them to elimination game victories over Finland (5-0) and the United States (2-0).
With 15 points (9G, 6A), Canadian Meghan Agosta finished first in scoring, while Americans Hayley Wickenheiser and Caroline Ouellette shared honours as the tournament’s best assist producers with 9 apiece.
Most Valuable Player and Best Forward honours went to Agosta, while Goaltender of the Tournament honours went to Shannon Szabados, who allowed only one goal in 180 minutes of play.
Final Words: 2010 Olympic Speed Skating Gold Medalist
Both the men’s gold medal game and the closing ceremony were seen by millions of people across the world. The event was seen by 14.3 million Canadians, making it the second most watched show in the country’s television history. We appreciate your interest in our work 2010 Olympic Speed Skating Gold Medalist.
