BEIJING 鈥� KRIPPS MAKES IT 26
Justin Kripps looked up to the sky to savour the moment. The Canadian had just held off the determined German opposition to win bronze in four-man bobsled by six-hundredths of a second. Kripps exchanged hugs with his elated teammates 鈥� Ryan Sommer of White Rock, B.C.; Cam Stones of Whitby, Ont.; and Ben Coakwell of Moose Jaw, Sask. 鈥� then paused for a moment of reflection. "It was definitely a combination of joy and relief," said the 35-year-old. "It was such a battle for third." That battle came down to the very last run. It looked like the German's time would be good enough for third, but Kripps gained precious hundredths of a second late in Canada's fourth run. It was the country's final medal in Beijing, its second bobsled medal of the Games and 26th medal overall.听
A GOLDEN FINNISH
Losses in the 1988 and 2006 men's hockey finals were long forgotten when the horn sounded. Finland stunned the favoured Russians 2-1 in the final to claim the country's first Olympic hockey gold medal. 鈥淲e got what we came here for,鈥� Finland defenceman Sami Vatanen said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 something special, and nobody can ever take it away from us.鈥� The Finnish team was a perfect combination of structure, defence, goaltending and firepower as it won all six of its games in the tournament. The defending champion Russians settled for silver instead of going back-to-back. "Hockey is a big thing in Finland," said captain Valtteri Filppula. "We have come close a couple of times, and it's finally nice to get the first one."
BACK TO BRITAIN
Britain's Eve Muirhead narrowly escaped curling's preliminary round on a second tiebreaker with less than impressive stats. Three days later, she orchestrated the most lopsided victory in a women's final in Olympic curling history. Muirhead's rink defeated Japan 10-3 to lead Britain to its first curling gold since 2002. The British skip held back tears on the podium as 鈥淕od Save the Queen鈥� played and the British flag was raised. The victory came one day after the British men lost to Sweden in an extra end in their gold-medal match. "To stand on the podium and get that gold medal around your neck is honestly a moment I'll never forget,鈥� Muirhead said.
EMPTY HANDED
When the American alpine ski team narrowly missed out on a bronze medal in the mixed team parallel, it meant Mikaela Shiffrin was leaving China without a medal. It capped off a difficult Games for the 26-year-old, who came to Beijing with the expectation of adding to an already long list of accomplishments that included three medals from her past two Olympics. Instead, the American went 0-for-5 in individual events. She failed to reach the finish line in three of those. So a podium in the mixed team parallel on the final day of the Games would have been a consolation of sorts. Despite the fourth-place finish, Shiffrin said competing in the team event and feeling that camaraderie was her best Olympic moment. "Today it was just important for us to be able to compete together," she said. "And they have been supportive of me this entire Games 鈥� just unbelievable. They just deserve to know how much I love them and how much I wanted to just try to help and have the potential to win a medal today."
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WAVING THE FLAG, WAVING FAREWELL
It was fitting for Isabelle Weidemann to lead Canada's athletes into Beijing's National Stadium after leading the way on the ice for the duration of the Games. The 26-year-old speedskater from Ottawa was dominant in Beijing, capturing a complete set of three medals, including the country's first. She led Canada's contingent of 221 athletes as the flag-bearer for the closing ceremony of the 2022 Winter Olympics.The Canadian athletes who accompanied her, sporting head-to-toe "winter white" attire, draped their own versions of the Maple Leaf over shoulders -- some tying it around their necks like capes or waving it proudly in their hands in what the Canadian Olympic Team dubbed a "BYOF" 鈥� "bring your own flag" 鈥� event on Twitter.
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 20, 2022.
The Canadian Press
