Analysis: Canada finishes strong in Pyeongchang

Weather settles during second week of Olympics

By Jerrison Oracion, Senior Columnist

After the first week of the Olympics had winds that made it look like a blizzard was blowing through Pyeongchang, the weather calmed down during the second week to make optimal conditions for mountain events.

The Canadian Olympic Team continued to win medals almost every day. Ted-Jan Bloemen got another medal with a gold in speed skating in the men’s 10,000 metre and he set a world record in that distance.

In freestyle skiing, Canada got three more medals including a gold medal for Cassie Sharpe in women’s halfpipe, Brady Leman in men’s ski cross, and a bronze medal for Alex Beaulieu-Marchand in men’s ski slopestyle.

In bobsleigh, Canadians Justin Kripps and Alexander Kopacz received gold medals in the two-man bobsleigh, tied with Germany to an astounding hundredth of a second. Kaillie Humphries, who was trying to get three gold medals in a row, got a bronze medal in women’s bobsleigh with Phylicia George.

Canada also got a silver medal in luge in the team relay.

In figure skating, Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir recieved their second gold medal in ice dance and set a world record in the short program.

When the pair appeared on CBC’s The National, Andrew Chang asked them if they will retire.

“After an Olympics like this, if this is the end for us competitively, it feels right,” Virtue said.

However, Moir’s response told a slightly different story.

“We have to make sure before we make an announcement,” he told Chang, which means the pair might try for gold again in the next Winter Olympic Games in Beijing in 2022.

Patrick Chan, who tried to finally get a gold medal in men’s figure skating ended up in ninth place and was beaten by Japanese skater Yuzuru Hanyu yet again. Chan’s free program did not wow me as much as Hanyu’s free program. Hanyu is the first male figure skater to get two gold medals in a row in a very long time, and he did all of that after he injured his ankle. However, with Virtue and Moir saying that they may not retire, maybe Chan and the other Canadian athletes expected to retire after this year’s games may not retire as well, and Chan could finally win a gold medal on his own.

In short track speed skating, Samuel Girard won a gold medal in the men’s 1,000 metre and Kim Boutin won another bronze medal in the women’s 1,500 metre. Also, South Korea was very excited when they won a gold medal in the women’s 3,000 metre relay after Canada and Italy were disqualified.

In curling, the women’s team, led by Rachel Homan, did not make it to the finals but the men’s team, led by Kevin Koe, did make the finals.

In hockey, the Canadian women’s hockey team lost to the United States 3-2 in a shootout on the 20th anniversary of the US women’s hockey team getting the first gold medal in the sport in the Winter Olympic Games in Nagano in 1998. This ends the run of Canada winning every gold medal in women’s hockey since 2002.