The country was getting a little antsy. Canada’s “Own the Podium” Olympic mantra promised piles of medals for the host country, most importantly the first gold ever won on home soil (Canada missed gold in both the 1976 Montreal Summer Games and the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary). Canadian television networks hyped the first full day of competition as the moment their country would break through, but Canada came up empty. An alpine-skiing event was postponed, the short-track speedskaters disappointed and Jennifer Heil, the defending Olympic champion in moguls skiing and presumptive favorite in that event, finished second. After a tense 24 hours, Canada’s agita finally ended the following evening, thanks to men’s moguls skier Alex Bilodeau. His strong racing down the mounds, and exciting aerial act off the jumps, clinched the Olympic title. “It’s just the beginning of a good party in Canada,” Bilodeau said. Though the country fell short of its goal of leading the medal count it finished with 26, 11 behind leader the U.S. Canada won more golds, 14, than any other nation.
Top 10 Memorable Moments of the Winter Olympics
It started with tragedy, and a technical mishap or two, but the Vancouver Winter Games also had its share of athletic triumphs. Here is a look at this year's Olympic highs and lows
Canada’s First Home Gold
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Olympic Highs and Lows