Time for More Canadian Olympic Gushing

Because bragging about Canadians getting medals isn't something I'm paid to do over at BuddyTV.  But here on my blog, I do whatever I feel like.

Derek Drouin takes home a bronze in high jump.  Down south, that would register a, "meh, it isn't gold."  But up here it is more like, "Woohoo, we're getting even closer to beating Beijing's 2008 Olympic medal count."  But this one is much cooler than that.  This is our first medal in high jump in close to 40 years.  Not only that but Drouin had an injury that doctors claimed would make it tight for him to even qualify for the Olympics.  On top of that, Drouin has never even competed in a World Championship.  His first major global event is the Olympics and he lands himself a bronze.

The sweetest medals are the medals that we weren't supposed to win.  It makes up for a few of the bigger upsets we've suffered in the Olympics.  Yes, not all our favoured athletes won, but then we got people like Drouin or the women's soccer team who achieve way above expectations.  I think it is foolish to get patriotic and feel pride over some other person's accomplishment, but screw that, I feel it.  I have no shame in feeling pride for my nation when an athlete goes beyond what is expected.  Canada loves their underdogs.

We also picked up two canoeing/kayaking medals today.  I'd really thought we'd get gold with Adam van Koeverden, but there is no shame in silver.  He was close to that gold, but Norway's Eirik Veras Larsen powered in for the last minute win.  You can't feel too bad losing to a guy whose great ancestors likely wore horned helmets and rowed to countless villages for pillaging.  It was in his blood to row towards gold.

Mark Oldershaw picked up a bronze in the 1000m C-1, which was a come from behind win.  The best kind of win.  Well, maybe a dominant win is the best, but the come from behind is more dramatic.  If you're going to get bronze, then it is best to make it dramatic.

Simon Whitfield didn't finish his triathlon, and initially reports were that he injured his shin.  I am no doctor, but the shin isn't usually found in the collarbone.  It looks like he was banged up real bad, which is why he didn't pull a Sydney and come back from a crash to win gold.

During the Beijing Olympics, I got up extra early to see Canada win its first gold with Carol Huynh's victory in wrestling.  She unfortunately lost this morning in the semis, and now has to settle for the bronze this year.  I still have fond memories being up at 4 in the morning with Crosby on my lap cheering on a talented wrestler who was about 100 thousand times better than I ever was.  She had such grace and skill.  She dominated for that gold medal.  I had hopes she would repeat it this year.  But I'm confident she'll still marvel us all with a bronze medal win.

Canada's least favourite referee, Christina Pedersen seems to be finished with her Olympic work now.  FIFA never seemed to address the actual officiating controversy, but they still made sure she wasn't officiating the medal matches.  To me, that says they didn't think it was the most stellar of performances.  If only she had a wedding to attend or misplaced her keys on the way to work, and things could have been different earlier this week.

My "not as pro-Canadian thoughts" are still coming later today over at BuddyTV, so be sure to lookout for those articles.