Hometown: Rosemère, QC
Twitter: @ABilodeau_ski

That sound heard across Canada on Feb. 14, 2010, was a collective sigh of relief. At his second Olympics, freestyle skier Alexandre Bilodeau accomplished what no other Canadian ever had: He won an Olympic gold medal on home soil.

Now, with his third Olympics on the horizon, he'd really like another gold to go with it.

"Having one gold is great, but two is better," says the 26-year-old from Rosemère, QC, who now calls Montreal home. "It is something that I have been working very hard for."

Bilodeau credits his drive to succeed to a bit of advice he received from his neighbour, the legendary Olympic speed skater Gaétan Boucher, growing up. "He said, ‘To be the best in the world is simple—you just need to work harder than everybody else.' I keep that motto in mind."

And yes, his brother, Frédéric, whose joyful reaction to Bilodeau's victory at the Vancouver 2010 Games touched the whole nation, will be cheering him on in Sochi.

"Oh, he'll be there," says Bilodeau.

Meet more of this year's Team Canada athletes.
                                         

This story was originally titled "The Olympic Hero" in the February 2014 issue.             Subscribe to Canadian Living today and never miss an issue!