Community & Current Events
17 of the best (and worst) Canadian Olympic moments
Best and Worst Olympic Moments
Community & Current Events
17 of the best (and worst) Canadian Olympic moments
Since Canada entered the Olympic Games in 1900, our nation's athletes have achieved jaw-dropping victories and incredible memories. Here are some of the most dramatic highs and lows in Canada's Olympic history.
Paris, 1900
This was the first time Canada competed and George Orton became the nation's first Olympic medalist. He won a gold medal in the 2500m steeplechase (an obstacle race), ruining Britain’s perfect record. He also won a bronze medal in in the 400m hurdles, collecting all of Canada’s medals.
St. Louis, 1904
Peter Deer, a 23-year-old Iroquois Indigeonous man who worked as a mechanic by day, competed in the 800m and 1500m races. It was the first time an Indigenous person represented Canada internationally.
Antwerp, 1920
Ice hockey made its Olympic debut in 1920 and the Canadian team took home the gold. The team defeated Czechoslovakia in quarter-finals (15-0), United States in semifinals (2-0) and Sweden in the final (12-1). When the Winter Olympic Games launched in 1924, ice hockey was moved to a more fitting home—and Canada continued to shine, of course.
Amsterdam, 1928
For the first time in Canadian history, women competed in the Summer Olympics—and won. The ladies brought home a total of four medals for Canada and two of them were gold.
Rome, 1960
The Summer Olympics were televised for the first time and the Canadian Broadcasting Company (CBC) aired the game for anxious viewers back home.
Mexico City, 1968
Canada adopted the red and white maple leaf flag in 1965 and in the 1968 Olympics, Canadian athletes proudly marched holding the new flag up high for all to see.
Montreal, 1976
Amidst the political tensions surrounding the Quebec sovereignty movement, Canada hosted the Summer Olympics for the first time—and in Montreal. Unfortunately, it was also the first time a host country did not win a single gold medal. To this day, 1976 was the only Summer Olympics to be hosted in Canada.
Los Angeles, 1984
This was the year Canada won it’s most number of medals, totalling 44. With 10 golds, 18 silvers and 16 bronze medals, some suspect this high number might be due to the boycott and lack of participation by the Soviet Union and satellite nations.
Seoul, 1988
Canadian sprinter Ben Johnson finished the 100m final with a world record. Unfortunately, he later had his titles stripped when he tested positive for steroids.
During the same Olympics, Canadian sailor Lawrence Lemieux was about to place second in the Finn class race when he noticed his fellow competitors from Singapore shipwrecked and overboard. Lemieux abandoned the race to rescue the other participants and stayed with them until help arrived. When he rejoined the race, he came in 22nd place. Lemieux, however, still went home a hero when the International Olympics Committee awarded him with the Pierre de Coubertin medal to honour his bravery and sacrifice.
Atlanta, 1996
Until these games, no one had ever run the 100m in less than 10 seconds. But Donovan Bailey achieved the impossible with a record-breaking 9.84 seconds, earning him the title "world’s fastest man" by many. In 2005 he was inducted into the Ontario Sports Hall of Fame.
Sydney, 2000
The final days of the Summer Olympics in September were overshadowed by the death of Canada’s 15th Prime Minister, Pierre Elliot Trudeau. At the request of the Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister at the time, Lloyd Axworthy, Olympics Committee President Juan Samaranch ordered the Canadian flag be lowered to half-mast for the remainder of the games.
Salt Lake City, 2002
Jamie Salé and David Pelletier of Canada had performed so beautifully in the figure skating pairs competition that a gold medal seemed very likely. But when they were placed second in favor of a Russian duo, suspicion arose. After being confronted, French judge Marie-Reine le Gougne broke down and admitted to being pressured to throwing the competition. As for Salé and Palletier, the awarding ceremony was re-held for them and they were awarded with gold medals of their own.
Speed skating champion Catriona Le May Doan was the first Canadian woman and individual athlete to defend her gold medal. She came in first in the 500m speed skate at the 1998 Nagano Games and did so again in Salt Lake City in 2002.
Turin, 2006
Cindy Klassen became Canada’s greatest speed skater when she took home five Olympic medals in 2006, more than any other Canadian. Klassen became one of Canada’s most decorated Olympians and was even featured on the special edition 25-cent Canadian coin.
Vancouver, 2010
Canada had been stealing the stage—or hockey rink—since the first Winter Olympics. A win in our own Vancouver was what every Canuck was wishing for. Almost 17 million Canadians tuned in to make the Canada–USA ice hockey final the most watched event in Canada’s history. And the men’s hockey team did not disappoint, honouring our country’s history with ice hockey and deserving every bit of that gold medal.
Rio, 2016
The youngest Canadian Olympian, 16-year-old Penny Oleksiak made headlines when she received her fourth medal in the 2016 games in Rio. What's even more impressive, Penny became not only Canada's first athlete to win a medal but also the first one to win a gold medal. She might just be walking in the footsteps of the legendary Cindy Klassen. We can't wait to see what the future has in store for this young champion.
PyeongChang, 2018
Team Canada made history at PyeongChang winning 29 medals, a winter Olympic record medal haul for our country. With 11 gold, eight silver and 10 bronze, Canada finished third overall behind Norway's 39 and Germany's 31.
Eric Radford became the first openly gay man to win a gold medal at the winter Olympics in the team figure skating event.
Skating duo Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir became the most decorated figure skaters ever at the Olympics after winning gold for their ice dancing performance.
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