THE COACH
Murray Cluff, who competed on the World Cup circuit for 10 years in three freestyle disciplines, has coached at the provincial, national, and World Cup levels. After stepping away from the high-adrenaline world of international competition, he re-considered when Heil, who had taken 2003 off to focus on rehabilitation and strengthening, asked him to be her personal coach. Given the success Heil has achieved since Cluff, an NCCP Level 4 coach, assumed the reins, she really knew what she was doing.

THE ATHLETE
Olympic champion Jenn Heil, who won gold on Day One of the Games, was the winner of the 2004 and 2005 World Cup overall women’s mogul titles, making history as the first-ever Canadian woman to claim such a title. In 2005, she was the FIS World Champion in dual moguls. Heil narrowly missed a place on the 2002 Olympic podium, finishing fourth by 1/100th of a point in Salt Lake City.

THE PERFORMANCE
“Jennifer’s performance today provides the platform to ignite an entire new generation of Jean Luc’s and Jennifer’s,” says Peter Judge, CEO of the Canadian Freestyle Ski Association. “Additionally, and of more immediate importance, she is throwing down the gauntlet for the rest of our disciplines for these Games...an emphatic statement of, This is what IS possible... We can own the podium!”

THE COACH
Neal Marshall is Speed Skating Canada’s national coach for sprint and middle distances and has been on the coaching staff for three years. A three-time Olympian and 10-year national team member, he was the 1995 World Cup 1,500m champion, a world record holder in 1,500m in 1997 and 3,000m in 1995, and winner of world championship 1,500m bronze medals in 1996 and 1997. The seven-time Canadian All Round champion is a graduate of the National Coaching Institute-Calgary and was a recipient of the 2003 Petro-Canada Coaching Excellence Award. Speed skating is a family affair: his brothers Mike and Kevin are former national team members and Mike is a former national team coach.

3,000m: Olympic Bronze Medallist Cindy Klassen
THE ATHLETE
Cindy Klassen repeated her 3,000m performance at the 2002 Olympic Games, winning the 2006 bronze medal behind Ireen Wust and Renate Groenewold, both of the Netherlands. Klassen, the world record holder in 1,500m and 3,000m, which she set on consecutive weeks, was named the Canadian Press Female Athlete of the Year for 2005. In the 2004/2005 season, she set four world records and won eight World Cup medals. She will compete in four other events in Torino.

THE PERFORMANCE
“All things considered, Cindy's medal performance in the 3,000m really sets the stage, not only for athletes in the sport of speed skating, but other sports as well,” says Mark Greenwald, director of Calgary’s Olympic Oval where Klassen trains. “Reaching the podium can be contagious, and such a performance early on in the Games is important; it can act like a snowball that builds in size and speed as it begins to roll.”

Team Pursuit: Olympic Silver Medallists Clara Hughes, Kristina Groves, Christine Nesbitt, Cindy Klassen, and Shannon Rempel
THE ATHLETES
Canada’s powerful women’s team pursuit skaters — Clara Hughes, Kristina Groves, Christine Nesbitt, Cindy Klassen, and Shannon Rempel — won the silver medal in a close race against a gritty defending world champion German team. Hughes, a triple Olympic bronze medallist in cycling and speed skating, 2004 world champion in 5,000m, and an 18-time national cycling champion, is the only Canadian to have ever won medals at both an Olympic Summer and Winter Games. Groves had the best season of her career last year, winning a 3,000m World Cup race and two world championship medals, and setting a team pursuit world record with Hughes and Klassen. Newcomer Nesbitt was named Speed Skating Canada’s Rising Star last season on the strength of strong performances at the world single distance championships. The 3,000m bronze medallist in Torino, Klassen has set numerous world records during her seven years on the national team. Sprint specialist Rempel has a World Cup silver medal to her credit and was the 2003 world junior champion.

* Hughes and Groves are coached by Xiuli Wang, Nesbitt by Marcel Lacroix, Klassen by Neal Marshall, and Rempel by Sean Ireland.

THE PERFORMANCE
"With two silver medals, it means that half our long track team will leave Torino with an Olympic medal," says Emery Holmik, high performance director of Speed Skating Canada. "This will be a great stimulus for the next four years leading into Vancouver. The result also shows the quality and depth of our athletes and programs and is a great boost for our team for the rest of competition, as well as for other members of the Canadian Olympic Team here in Torino."

“Our women's pursuit team is comprised of some of the best women speed skaters in the world; together they are a force to be reckoned with and they showed that today,” says Mark Greenwald, director of Calgary’s Olympic Oval where the skaters train. “Neal Marshall did a fantastic job pulling this team together.”

1,000m: Olympic Silver Medallist Cindy Klassen
THE ATHLETE
In a race she doesn’t usually skate, Cindy Klassen edged the pre-race favourite, Germany’s great Anni Friesinger, to win the 1,000m silver medal. Marianne Timmer of the Netherlands, the 1998 Olympic champion, repeated today.

The silver was Klassen’s third medal of the Games — she won the 3,000m bronze medal and shared the team pursuit silver medal — and made her the first Canadian woman to win three medals at a single Olympic Winter Games. And her best event, the 1,500m, is yet to come

THE PERFORMANCE
“The women's 1,000m was a real nail biter, but Cindy has the speed and strength for this distance,” says Mark Greenwald, director of Calgary’s Olympic Oval. “Her performance in the 1,000m race has set her up well for the 1,500m to come and should give her a great deal of confidence. ”

1,500m: Olympic Gold Medallist Cindy Klassen
THE ATHLETE
With her amazing 1,500m victory, Cindy Klassen powered her way into the record books, becoming the first Canadian to win four medals at one Olympic Games and only the third ever to win five. Her win was sweetened by the surprise silver medal performance of her teammate, Kristina Groves. After Groves established the time to beat, Klassen had to out-skate 2002 Olympic champion Anni Freisinger of Germany, but the outcome was never in doubt as the Winnipeg native capitalized on a superb start and pulled ahead with 400m left. Freisinger wound up in fourth spot, just behind bronze medallist Irene Wust of the Netherlands, winner of the 3,000m race in which Klassen won bronze.

THE PERFORMANCE
“Cindy's performance was the grand slam,” says Mark Greenwald, director of Calgary’s Olympic Oval. “She had to compete against her toughest competitor, Anni Friesinger. She took it to her in grand fashion, and this performance was an example of what being a real Olympic champion is about. Head to head with your toughest competitor and never having to say you were sorry for letting it all hang out!”

5,000m: Olympic Bronze Medallist Cindy Klassen
THE ATHLETE
Cindy Klassen stepped to the start line of the gruelling 5,000m race, poised to become the first Canadian athlete to ever win six Olympic medals. At the finish, she not only had six medals, but was the skater to beat in an event that is not her best race. On the day, only her amazing teammate Clara Hughes and Claudia Pechstein of Germany were faster. It was Hughes’ fifth Olympic medal — she has two cycling bronzes and one silver and two speed skating bronzes —and her first Olympic title. As for the incredible Klassen, her medal collection now stands at one gold, two silver, and three bronze medals, the first coming in the 3,000m race in 2002.

THE PERFORMANCE
“Cindy Klassen gave her all this Olympic Games, right down to the last distance” says Mark Greenwald, director of Calgary’s Olympic Oval. “Her focus was unshakeable, her determination unstoppable. She is a champion of champions and with her performances at these Games, she will surely go into the history books as one of the most accomplished skaters ever. ”

Dave Wood, Coach

THE COACH
National coach Dave Wood has been a coach of the cross country ski team since 1995 and head coach at the past three Olympic Games. Recognizing the international potential of skiers such as Scott and Renner, he set goals that have been more than realized as his skiers now have Olympic gold and silver medals to their credit. Scott has described Wood as “a 24-hour, seven-day-a-week coach … always ready to be anything it takes to help the athlete … extremely dedicated; I don’t know anybody who works harder than him.”

Wood is an NCCP Level 4 coach and has won two Petro-Canada Coaching Excellence Awards.

THE ATHLETES
Rebounding from disappointing performances in the 15km pursuit, Beckie Scott, who was sixth on Sunday, and Sara Renner, who was 16th, claimed the team sprint silver medal in decisive fashion. Scott, the 2002 Olympic pursuit champion, has won seven World Cup medals in sprint, individual, and relay events and has placed consistently in the top-10 throughout the past five seasons. She won five medals at World Cup events last December. Renner, a veteran of nine years on the national team, was the 2005 sprint world championship bronze medallist and has won two silvers and a bronze medal on the current World Cup circuit.

THE PERFORMANCE
“Today's result further reinforces the fact that Canada is a force to be reckoned with in Nordic Skiing,” says Anton Scheier, Cross Country Canada’s director of coach and athlete development. “We look forward to further good medal opportunities in these Games with Beckie, Sara, and possibly Chandra Crawford, and are excited about the prospects for 2010 with our developing men’s program and some of our next generation of female skiers.”

THE COACH
Guy Thibault took over the reins of the national short track speed skating team in 1998, returning to Canada after a three-year stint with the American long track team. Earlier, he coached long track at the Ste-Foy Training Centre. Since then, Thibault, who skated long track for Canada at the 1988 and 1992 Olympic Winter Games, has won six Petro-Canada Coaching Excellence Awards and is a three-time winner of Speed Skating Canada’s Coach of the Year Award. Thibault is working on his NCCP Level 5 coaching certification.

THE PERFORMANCE
“Anouk's bronze medal means a lot for the sport of short track,” says Janos Englert, assistant coach at the Montreal Training Centre. “It means a lot for her for her club and for the sponsors as well. Short track is very popular in Quebec and it is getting very popular around the world, too. It is good for us Canadians that we can maintain our high performance program and still be a leader in our sport. With this medal, the world is looking up to Anouk, to Canada, and to our sport in Canada.”

3000m Relay: Olympic Silver Medallists Alanna Kraus, Anouk Leblanc-Boucher, Kalyna Roberge, Tania Vicent, and Amanda Overland
THE ATHLETES
Canada’s reigning 3,000m relay world champions skated smartly to win the Olympic silver medal, second only to the powerful South Korean team.

Alanna Kraus, who was a member of the relay team that won the 2002 Olympic bronze medal, turned in exceptional performances at the Olympic trials and finished the competition as the number one ranked Canadian woman. An eight-year veteran of the team, she has won six medals at major international events, including bronze in 1,500m at the 2004 world championships and silver and bronze in the 3,000m relay at the 2000 and 2003 worlds. Kraus skates out of Calgary’s Olympic Oval where she is coached by Yvon Deblois.

Anouk Leblanc-Boucher, winner of the 500m bronze medal earlier in the Games, has posted several podium appearances in only two years on the team. In her first season, the 2004 world junior champion in 500m won gold in 500m at a World cup event and so far this season has two World cup bronze medals in the relay.

Only 19 years old, Kalyna Roberge was the first member of the 2005/2006 squad to reach the podium, winning the 500m bronze medal at a World cup event just prior to the Torino Olympics. Roberge had been focusing on the 2010 Games when Coach Thibault told the talented youngster that she had a shot at making the 2006 team. Living up to her potential, she can look forward to a golden future.

Tania Vicent has been strong this season in the individual events as well as in World Cup relays, helping Canada to two bronze medals. The 29-year-old veteran of the Canadian team, she has Olympic bronze medals from the 1998 and 2002 Olympic Games and several silver and bronze world championship medals in her collection. Vicent was Speed Skating Canada’s 2004 Female Skater of the Year – Short Track.

Amanda Overland, who skated in the semi-final and shared the silver medal, won her first two individual World Cup medals last season, a world title in the relay, and her first overall national title. She was Speed Skating Canada’s 2005 Short Track Athlete of the Year.

THE PERFORMANCE
“One Team, One Dream … and this time silver!” says Janos Englert, assistant coach at the Montreal Training Centre. “We are very happy about the silver, although we were the world champions last year, but Korea was DQ in the final. This time we were behind them, but faster than the Chinese. This is great!”

A veteran of eight years on Canada’s short track team, Tremblay won Olympic gold in the 5,000m relay at the Salt Lake Olympics. In 2005, he won gold medals in the 500m and 5,000m relay and a silver medal in 1,500m to finished third overall at the 2005 world championships. Earlier in the season, the administration student shared in the relay gold medal at a World Cup event and won Canada’s first short track medal of the season, a bronze in 500m. He was the overall gold medallist at the 1998 world junior championships.

THE PERFORMANCE
“This was a much deserved medal,” says Janos Englert, assistant coach at the Montreal Training Centre. “He worked so hard to get this. A few years ago, he seemed almost at the end of his career when he did not make the national team. With hard work he came back, had a good last year, and now he is standing on the podium at the Olympic Games.”

In nine years on Canada’s short track team, Éric Bédard has numerous major medals to his credit. A full-time athlete who works as an instructor at speed skating camps during the summer, he won Olympic gold medals in the 5,000m relay at the 1998 and 2002 Games, and added the 1,000m bronze at Nagano. At world championships he has won three gold, five silver, and two bronze medals. With today’s silver medal, Bédard joins former teammate Marc Gagnon and long track speed skaters Gaétan Boucher and Cindy Klassen as the only Canadian to win four or more Winter Games medals. A former 1,500m world record holder, he began skating at the age of four.

A veteran of eight years on the short track team, François-Louis Tremblay won Olympic gold in the 5,000m relay at the Salt Lake Olympics. In 2005, he won gold medals in the 500m and 5,000m relay and a silver medal in 1,500m to finished third overall at the 2005 world championships. Earlier in the season, the administration student shared in the relay gold medal at a World Cup event and won Canada’s first short track medal of the season, a bronze in 500m.

Charles Hamelin is an up-and-comer who is enjoying strong performances in his third year on the team. He earned his first World Cup medal, a bronze, in at a 2004 World cup event and in 2005 added a world championship gold medal in the 5,000m relay and a silver in 500m. This season he has gold and three bronze medals to his credit.

Mathieu Turcotte was a member of Canada’s team that won the 5,000m gold medal at the 2002 Olympic Winter Games. Strong over several distances, he has gold and silver world championship medals and so far this season has won one gold, one silver, and two bronze World cup medals. Turcotte, who has been speed skating since the age of seven, is an orthotics and prosthetics technician and is president and co-founder of APEX Racing Skates.

Jonathan Guilmette overcame two career-threatening back injuries to earn his place on the 2006 Olympic team. The first occurred in 2001 and the second during a 1,000m final at the 2004 world championships. During a three-hour surgery, doctors inserted screws and rods to repair and stabilize the vertebra. A very successful international competitor in his nine years on the team, Guilmette’s first Olympic medals were gold in the 5,000m relay and silver in 500m at the 2002 Games. His world championship collection includes five silver medals and one bronze. Speed Skating Canada’s 2004 Male Skater of the Year – Short Track, he has one gold and two bronze medals so far on the 2005/2006 World Cup circuit.

THE PERFORMANCE
“It was good to see the Canadian team being totally even with the Koreans,” says Janos Englert, assistant coach at the Montreal Training Centre. “For years and years, the relay has been a battle between the two countries and Canada was the only country that could keep up with them, side by side until the last corner.”

THE COACH
National coach Teresa Schlachter was a brakeman with the national bobsleigh team, appearing at two world championships and numerous World Cups, and at the 2002 Olympic Winter Games as an alternate. Moving on to a coaching career, she became high performance director of Bobsleigh Canada’s skeleton program. After Canada won seven medals at three world skeleton championships, she was made general manager and head coach for the 2006 Games. Schlachter has a master’s degree in high performance coaching and has won three Petro-Canada Coaching Excellence Awards.

THE PERFORMANCE
“Bobsleigh Canada Skeleton (BCS) is very proud of Mellisa’s accomplishment today,” says Shaulyn King, BCS’ events and administration coordinator. “Both Mellisa and Lindsay Alcock (who finished in 10th spot), have been excellent promoters of the sport within Canada. This Olympic medal will place the sport of skeleton in the forefront of the minds of Canadians.”

Silver medallist Jeff Pain was the World Cup champion in 2004/2005 and took his second straight title just prior to the Torino Games. Full recovered from a foot injury that sidelined him for most of the 2003/2004 season, the 2002/2003 and 2004/2005 world champion is considered the most consistently successful athlete in the Canadian program, which clearly dominates the highly competitive skeleton world.

THE PERFORMANCE
“Winning two medals in the men’s Skeleton competition is a testament to the strength of the current Canadian program and will fuel the journey towards Vancouver 2010,” says Shaulyn King, BCS’ events and administration coordinator.

"The sheer dominance of the Canadian men's skeleton squad today speaks volumes on the big strides the sport has made in Canada,” says Doug McIntyre, spokesperson for the Calgary Olympic Development Association. “Since skeleton made its Olympic return at the 2002 Games in Salt Lake City, Canada has emerged as a powerhouse on the international World Cup circuit, and the results today and yesterday only affirm that."

THE COACH
Marcel Lacroix, who left Montreal for Calgary’s Olympic Oval in 1993, has coached all aspects of speed skating. He was a member of the 1998 Olympic short track coaching staff where the men’s relay team won the gold medal for the first time, added gold, silver, and bronze, and then captured the world championships. Success followed him to the Oval’s long track program where he handled the all-round program and the women’s hockey team’s power skating program. Returning to long track, he was Speed Skating Canada’s Male Coach of the Year in 2003/2004 and currently oversees the development of the Oval’s junior program. Lacroix is a graduate of the National Coaching Institute-Calgary and a three-time recipient of CAC’s Coaching Excellence Award.

THE ATHLETES
All first-time Olympic medallists, Arne Dankers, Steven Elm, Justin Warsylewicz, Denny Morrison, and Jason Parker* defeated powerhouse Norway enroute to the Olympic final where they were edged by underdog Italy. Dankers specializes in 5,000m and is a national record holder in 1,500m, 5,000m, and 10,000m. Elm, the team veteran with two previous Olympic appearances to his credit, is a former 3,000m world record holder and was ranked number one in Canada in 1,000m last season. Warsylewicz, enjoying his first year on the national team after treatment for a heart irregularity, was the 2004 world junior champion and the 2004 Canadian all-round champion. Morrison, in his second year on the World Cup circuit, was a member of Canada’s victorious team when the event made its debut at the 2005 world championships. This season he has set numerous Canadian records. Parker has won numerous World Cup bronze medals during his 10-year career on the national team for 10 years.

* Dankers and Elm are coached by Xiuli Wang, Parker is coached by Neal Marshall, and Warsylewicz and Morrison are coached by Marcel Lacroix, who also handles the team pursuit squad.

THE PERFORMANCE
“Some may have overlooked this men's team as medallists, because as individuals, those looking from outside might not have considered them, but these guys worked hard from the introduction of this event, and showed what teamwork, focus, and effort can do,” says Mark Greenwald, director of Calgary’s Olympic Oval, where the skaters train. “Add a bit of well-thought out strategy by coach Marcel Lacroix, and they took the podium.”

“With two silver medals, it means that half our long track team will leave Torino with an Olympic medal,” says Emery Holmik, high performance director of Speed Skating Canada. “This will be a great stimulus for the next four years leading into Vancouver. The result also shows the quality and depth of our athletes and programs and is a great boost for our team for the rest of competition, as well as for other members of the Canadian Olympic Team here in Torino.”

THE COACH
During his 16-year career, Lee Barkell has built a solid reputation for coaching champions. A former national team member and former national and international champion, he is the director of the Pair Skating Program at the Mariposa International School of Skating. As well as being Jeff Buttle’s principal coach, Barkell coaches athletes on the senior and junior national teams. He has coached at four world championships, the 2002 Olympic Winter Games, and at 12 consecutive world junior championships. An NCCP Level 4 coach, he is a winner of the Petro-Canada Sporting Excellence Award and Skate Canada’s Competitive Coaching Award of Excellence.

THE ATHLETE
Jeff Buttle stepped onto the Olympic podium with a solid free skate that shot him up from sixth spot after the short program. Appearing to have little chance of a medal, the 2005 world silver medallist, who said he was skating for a medal during the short program, decided to skate for himself in the free skate, which turned out to be his best performance of the season. Joining Buttle on the podium were Olympic champion Evgeni Plushenko of Russia and silver medallist Stephane Lambiel of Switzerland, the 2005 world champion.

THE PERFORMANCE
“Skate Canada is very excited about Jeffrey Buttle's bronze medal at the Olympic Games and congratulates him on his tremendous achievement,” says Jeff Partrick, Skate Canada’s chief membership officer. “Jeffrey and his coach, Lee Barkell, have been working hard to prepare for the Games and their hard work has paid off. They have studied the new judging system closely and have taken responsibility to ensure that they maximized Jeffrey's potential to earn points. The competitive achievements of our skaters this past season is evidence that our coaches are embracing this new judging system and making it work for their skaters. I am sure that Jeffrey's success will be an inspiration to the rest of the Skate Canada team in Torino and all Skate Canada members as they work towards achieving their own goals and dreams.”

THE COACH
Snowboardcross head coach René Brunner has led Canada’s team for two seasons. The Austrian has worked with the Austrian Snowboard team and provides private coaching to other countries.

THE ATHLETE
A firefighter when she isn’t riding, Dominique Maltais is the first Canadian woman to win an Olympic snowboard medal. She succeeded in a wild race that saw her recover from a fall near the beginning of the race to catch third place behind winner Tanja Frieden of Switzerland and Lindsey Jacobellis of the United States. A two-time Canadian champion, Maltais only began competing four years ago. In her short career she has accumulated gold, two silver, and one bronze World Cup medal, eight top-10 results, and now, Olympic bronze.

THE PERFORMANCE
“Dominique's bronze medal is a great boost for snowboarding in Canada,” says Tom McIllfaterick, CEO of the Canadian Snowboard Federation. “Combined with Maëlle Ricker's fourth place and Jasey-Jay Anderson's fifth-place finishes, it reflects Canada's strength in this exciting discipline, and is sure to create increased interest and participation as we now move towards 2010.”

THE COACH
Gerd Grimme is the high performance director and head coach of Canada’s men’s senior national bobsleigh team. He is a three-time winner of the Petro-Canada Coaching Excellence Awards, earning the honour in 2003, 2004, and 2005. When not working with Canada’s bobsleigh team, he lives in Dresden, Germany.

THE ATHLETES
Overcoming blowing, wet snow, driver Pierre Lueders and brakeman Lascelles Brown sped to the two-man silver medal, second only to gold medal favourites Andre Lange and Kevin Kuske of Germany. Despite the nasty weather conditions, Lueders, who finished a disappointing fifth in the first run, roared back to put down the second fastest times through the final three heats.

Lueders is Canada’s most decorated sliding athlete and the winner of three consecutive world two-man titles and the Olympic title, with Dave MacEachern, at the 1998 Nagano Games. Going into Torino, he had won five World Cup medals in his last eight races and the 2005/2006 World Cup combined (two- and four-man) and two-man championships. On the national team since 1990, he was won an incredible 69 career World Cup medals. Lueders made his Olympic debut in 1994 at Lillehammer, finishing seventh in the two-man.

Brown joined Team Canada this season after competing for Jamaica and was awarded Canadian citizenship just three weeks prior to the 2006 Opening Ceremony. Recognized as one of the top-three brakemen in the world, he set a start world record for Jamaica at the 2002 Salt Lake Games. Since pairing with Lueders, he has won the 2005/2006 World Cup combined (two- and four-man) championship and the two-man title. With Lueders, he is the defending two-man world champion.

THE PERFORMANCE
“Pierre Lueders' silver medal win in two-man bobsleigh adds another glittering chapter to his legendary career” says Doug McIntyre, spokesperson for the Calgary Olympic Development Association. “Along with his brakeman, Lascelles Brown, Pierre won the 2005 world championship in the two-man event, and today's podium result caps off a strong season in which the duo finished tops overall in the two-man event on the World Cup circuit.”

THE COACH
Melody Davidson became the head coach of the National Women’s Team in May 2004. A graduate of the National Coaching Institute-Calgary, she has a wealth of international experience, serving in coaching, scouting, development, and coach mentorship capacities for 13 seasons.

Davidson was the head coach when the team captured the 2000 world championship and was an assistant coach of the 2002 Olympic team and the 1994 and 2001 world championship teams. She was an assistant coach when the team won the 1994 and 2001 world titles. At the 2005 worlds, she coached the team to the silver medal, losing to the United States in a shootout. It was Canada’s only goal against of the tournament.

As head coach of Cornell University’s Women’s NCAA Division 1 team, Davidson, a skilful recruiter, has guided the Big Red to two straight Eastern College Athletic Conference play-offs, increasing the win totals each year.

THE PERFORMANCE
“This victory will help grow the women’s game in Canada at all ages,” says Bob Nicholson, president of Hockey Canada.

“The gold medal is an indicator that the development we are doing in Canada is successful” says Kathy Berg, program director and coach of the Olympic Oval’s Female Hockey Program. “We must continue with grassroots development through to high performance. At the same time, we must continue to develop coaches at all levels. This will ensure that the sport continues to grow and athletes receive the expertise they require relevant to their age.”

THE TEAM
Canada’s women’s hockey team won the 2006 Olympic gold medal with a 4-1 victory over Sweden, bronze medallists in 2002. It was the second consecutive victory for the Canadian team, a potent combination of veterans and newcomers who outshot Sweden 26-8. Canada’s scorers were Jayna Hefford, Gillian Apps, Caroline Ouellette, and Cherie Piper. In goal for Canada was Charline Labonté, who earned her third shotout of the Games.

Eric de Nys and

Dave Wood, Coaches

THE COACHES
Eric de Nys, Cross Country Canada’s Team 2010 coach, skied for the BC Team from 1992 to 1998 and represented Canada at the World Junior Championships in 1994. After competing for a few years as a senior, he turned to coaching and completed his NCCP Level 4 certification at the National Coaching Institute in Calgary. Eric started working with Foothills Nordic Ski Club in 1999 and became the head coach in May 2000. After four successful seasons, he became the national development team coach-Canmore coach for the 2004 season. When the development program was dissolved into the national team program in 2004, Eric was named coach of the 2010 team. In 2000, he was awarded an $8,000 Petro-Canada Olympic Legacy Sports Scholarship.

National coach Dave Wood has been a coach of the cross country ski team since 1995 and head coach at the past three Olympic Games. Recognizing the international potential of skiers such as Scott and Renner, he set goals that have been more than realized as his skiers now have Olympic gold and silver medals to their credit. Scott has described Wood as “a 24-hour, seven-day-a-week coach … always ready to be anything it takes to help the athlete … extremely dedicated; I don’t know anybody who works harder than him.” Wood is an NCCP Level 4 coach and has won two Petro-Canada Coaching Excellence Awards.

THE PERFORMANCE
“Gold and fourth are excellent results for our program,” says Anton Scheier, Cross Country Canada’s director of coach and athlete development. “Chandra is one of several talented young women who come from a development program that is on track for producing our next generation of ski stars. While not as noticeable, but equally encouraging, our men’s team had some solid results and that bodes well for 2010.”

THE ATHLETE
Leading from start to finish, relative unknown Chandra Crawford upset a strong field that included fourth-place finisher Beckie Scott to capture Olympic gold in the 1.1 kilometre sprint, an event that is the equivalent of the 100 metre dash. In only her second year on the national team, the 22-year-old, who won her quarter-final and semi-final heats, came to the Games buoyed by a World cup bronze medal one week before the Games began. The Canadian sprint champion, she only took up cross country skiing at the age of 16 after competing in biathlon for five years.

1,500m: Olympic Silver Medallist Kristina Groves
THE ATHLETE
For Kristina Groves, her brilliant, clean performance in the 15th of 18 pairings earned her the first individual Olympic medal of her career. Groves, who shared the spotlight with Klassen earlier in the Games when Canada won team pursuit silver and will do so again when the pair receive their medals tomorrow, called the result “awesome for Canada”, noting that both she and Klassen skated “amazing races”, and adding that she was happy with her performance, no matter the outcome.

THE PERFORMANCE
“Kristina started off the rally with a phenomenal performance,” says Mark Greenwald, director of Calgary’s Olympic Oval. “She stepped to the plate, swung for the stands, and hit the ball out of the park. Her impressive 1,000m set the stage and I think Kristina was confident she was not going home empty-handed without a fight!”

Hughes, only the second woman and fourth person to win a medal at both the Olympic and Olympic Winter Games, was a double bronze medallist in cycling in 1996 and the 5,000m bronze medallist in 2002. She came to Torino as a strong contender in today’s race, having won gold in the event at a World Cup event earlier in the season. Other notable victories include 5,000m bronze at both the 2005 World Single Distances Championship and the 2004 World All Round Championship. Hughes was a world cycling silver medallist in 1995 and won multiple cycling medals at three Pan American Games.

The 18-time national cycling champion started speed skating as a 16-year-old, switched to cycling at 17, and returned to cycling fours years ago at the age of 28.

THE PERFORMANCE
“Clara Hughes is an athlete who has an intangible ability to, when pressed, reach deep inside, tap the desire that lies within, and use it to become victorious,” says Mark Greenwald, director of Calgary’s Olympic Oval. “It’s performances like this that bring us closer than ever to an understanding of what the Olympics are suppose to be about, to achieve the victory in the struggle, to overcome, and truly be swifter, higher, stronger. I once heard someone say that it’s not the size of a speed skater’s legs that wins races, it’s the size of their heart, and I can think of no one who better exemplifies that than Clara Hughes! ”

Elaine Dagg-Jackson and

Daryl Nixon, Coaches

For the past two years, Daryl Nixon has been the personal coach of the Kleibrink rink. In his 18- year coaching career, the professional engineer has coached Saskatchewan teams at the 1995 Canada Winter Games, the 1990 and 2002 Briers, and the 1992 Scott Tournament of Hearts, Alberta teams at the 2004 Scott Tournament of Hearts and the 2003 Canadian Mixed championships, and the Kleibrink rink when it won the 2005 Strauss Canada Cup. He has been involved in curling since the age of 11 and curled competitively until 2001. Nixon has an NCCP Level 3 certification.

THE ATHLETES
Shannon Kleibrink’s team pushed aside its 7-5 semi-final loss to Switzerland to win Canada’s second consecutive Olympic bronze medal, defeating Dordi Nordby of Norway 11-4 in eight ends.

Kleibrink skipped for Alberta at the 1993 and 2004 Scott Tournament of Hearts and has played at three Canadian Mixed Championships for Alberta. At the 2003 tournament, she became the first female skip at a mixed nationals and with her 2004 victory, she became the first female skip to win a mixed title. In 1997, she was the runner-up to the Sandra Schmirler rink at the Canadian Olympic Curling Trials. A financial and revenue accountant who began curling at the age of 13, she is a two-time winner of the Canadian Senior Fastball Championship as a centre fielder.

Amy Nixon played third with the Kleibrink rink at the 2004 Scott Tournament of Hearts, the 2004 and 2005 Strauss Canada Cups, and played second at the 2003 Canadian Mixed Championship where the Kleibrink rink finished third. The articling law student has been curling since the age of 10 and is an NCCP Level 2 certified coach.

Glenys Bakker, who played second at the Olympic tournament, competed as third at the 1997 Canadian Olympic Curling Trials, where the Kleibrink rink finished second to eventual Olympic champion Sandra Schmirler. Qualifying for the Olympics with her four-month-old daughter in tow, Bakker is a legal assistant and started curling at the age of 12.

Lead Christine Keshen has been curling for 15 years, starting at the age of 12. Sales and event coordinator at a golf resort, she played lead when the Kleibrink rink won the 2005 Strauss Canada Cup.

Alternate Sandra Jenkins has competed for Alberta at three Scott Tournament of Hearts and two Canadian Mixed Championships. She played lead for Marilyn Darte at the 1987 Labatt National Curling Trials. Another early starter, Jenkins took up the game at the age of 12.

THE PERFORMANCE
“The Canadian Curling Association (CCA) is very proud of the bronze medal performance of Team Kleibrink in Pinerolo” says Gerry Peckham, CCA’s manager of high performance and team leader in Torino. “The team rebounded from a tough semi-final loss to produce its best game of the week in a winner-take all-scenario. The Team displayed grit and determination in handing a very experienced team from Norway a decisive loss. The bronze medal accomplishment of Team Canada will set the stage for an assault on gold in 2010.”

Jim Waite and

Toby McDonald, Coaches

THE ATHLETES
Canada’s first-ever Olympic gold medal in men’s curling comes courtesy of the Brad Gushue rink whose home province of Newfoundland and Labrador has gone wild with excitement, including the thousands of school children who were given the afternoon off by the province’s education minister. The foursome won the game in convincing fashion, trouncing Finland 10-4 in eight ends.

Skip Gushue made his international debut in 1998, winning the world junior title. A construction contractor, he repeated three years later and was selected as a finalist for Canadian Junior Athlete of the Year. Only 25 years of age, he is the youngest man to skip a Canadian rink at the Olympics since curling became a full-medal sport in 1998. Gushue has competed at nine national championships, including three Briers, and was named All-Star Skip at the 2004 Brier. The five-time Newfoundland junior champion is a Fair Play award winner, a three-time junior all-star, and a recipient of St. John’s Freedom of the City Honour.
Third Mark Nichols played on Gushue’s 2001 world junior championship rink and was named a World Junior All-Star. A terrific shot maker who has been playing the game since he was seven years old, he has made six national championship appearances and has won numerous provincial titles. A three-time Newfoundland junior champion and named to two Canadian junior all-star teams, the 26-year-old student is also a recipient of St. John’s Freedom of the City Honour.

Two-time world champion Russ Howard, who shares skip duties with Gushue and throws second stone, was voted Curler of the Century by Sweep Magazine. The 50-year-old real estate sales associate who started curling as an 11-year-old, has won a record 107 Brier games as a skip, nine Ontario and five New Brunswick championships, and was the 1997 World Curling Tour champion. He has appeared in a record 13 Briers as a skip. Added to the young and inexperienced Gushue rink at the Olympic trials, the veteran skip was allowed to call the games, a strategic move that many observers felt was the key to Gushue’s victory.

A solid and steady curler, Jamie Korab plays lead and was also a member of the 2001 world junior championship foursome. Now 26 years old, he has curled for 14 years and has made five national appearances. The service management technician is a two-time Newfoundland junior champion, was a Canadian Junior All-Star in 2000, and is a recipient of St. John’s Freedom of the City Honour.

Alternate Mike Adam rounded out the 2001 world championship team. With seven national appearances to his credit, the 24-year-old student was awarded the St. John’s Freedom of the City Honour and won the sportsmanship award at the 2001 worlds. He unselfishly gave up his spot at the Canadian trials to make room for Russ Howard.

THE PERFORMANCE
“The Canadian Curling Association (CCA) is ecstatic with the performance of Team Gushue in winning the gold medal for Canadian curling,” says Gerry Peckham, CCA’s manager of high performance and team leader in Torino. “It was an outstanding accomplishment under tremendous pressure to win for themselves, their province, and for their country.”

“This young team is a part of our national program that was looking for them to compete for an Olympic berth at Vancouver 2010. It is an amazing accomplishment for such a young group of men, with Russ at their sides. This first ever Olympic gold medal for the Canadian men is something the whole country will cherish!”