Society

Canada’s silver in snowboard cross and a Super G bronze

Sochi while you slept: Dominique Maltais and Jan Hudec add to Canada’s medal tally

Andy Wong/AP

Andy Wong/AP

A silver lining for Dominique Maltais

Snowboard cross is built for crashes, six riders all flying through the air on big jumps and fighting for position on every corner, and fans saw plenty of them Sunday morning.

The crashes also took out Canada’s reigning gold medallist from Vancouver, Maelle Ricker.

Amid the chaos, however, Canada’s Dominique Maltais came through with the silver medal. It was tight racing all day, with Maltais winning the semi-finals in a photo finish.

In the finals, Eva Samkova of the Czech Republic won gold, dominating from start to finish. For Maltais, however, the silver was a great way to forget memories of Vancouver, where a serious injury cost her a chance at a medal.

A lucky loonie and a super bronze

Jan Hudec won Canada’s first medal on Sunday morning, taking home the bronze in the men’s alpine skiing Super G. (Click here to read Jonathon Gatehouse reporting from Sochi on the historic race.)

It was a historic victory for Canada, being the first Olympic medal in alpine skiing in two decades. Hudec always had the skill to medal at Sochi, but to make sure luck was on his side, he burried a lucky loonie at the finish line. (Did it work? He ended up in a tie for bronze with American favourite Bode Miller.)

Team Jacobs on a roll Remember when Canada’s men’s curling team had a record on 1-2 and many were worried if they would make the playoffs? Brad Jacobs and his rink from Sault Ste. Marie, Ont. have put those fears to rest with their fifth straight victory, beating the U.S. 8-6 this morning. Now with a record of 6-2, the Canadians have guaranteed a spot in the semi-finals, and they still have yet to peak on the rink.

 

Maybe all they needed was a little support Canada’s men’s hockey goalie Roberto Luongo yesterday.

Dispatches from Sochi: (Be sure to follow: @ChasGillis, @JonGatehouse, @kmqyvr, @KrRutherford and @reporterchris)

Jonathon Gatehouse: Jan Hudec’s good luck bronze

Charlie Gillis: Record-setting gold eludes Charles Hamelin

Kristina Rutherford: Team Jennifer Jones hasn’t peaked yet

Chris Johnston: A historic victory for Slovenian hockey

Wake up! Still to come today: biathalon, Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir, and Team Canada hockey

Canadian figure skaters have already won several medals at Sochi, but none of them gold. Look for Scott Moir and Tessa Virtue to change that trend in today’s pairs ice dance short program. Their main competition will be Americans Meryl Davis and Charlie White. The battle at the Iceberg Skating Palace starts at 10 a.m. EST/7 a.m. PST.

How often to you get to watch someone ski 15-km with a gun? Jean-Philippe Le Guellec is Canada’s best hope for a medal in today’s men’s biathlon, though it’ll be tough to beat the Norwegians. The ski and shoot begins at 10 a.m. EST/7 a.m. PST.

Canada will be glued to the televisions when the men’s hockey team take the ice. Sidney Crosby and crew will have their first real test of the tournament when they face off against Finland (no disrespect Norway or Austria) and a win is paramount for divisional standings. A loss could mean Canada will play Russia in the quarter-finals, and no one wants to play the hometown favourites so soon. The puck drops at noon EST/9 a.m. PST.

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