The 2014 Winter Olympics came to a close on Sunday, and as Canadians we have a lot to be proud of.
Canada ended the Olympics in third place with a total of 25 medals; 10 gold, 10 silver and 5 bronze. But the Olympics are about so much more than medals. They are about true sportsmanship, and for this, Canada earned gold.
Canadian cross-country ski coach Justin Wadsworth is a shining example. Although his own athletes were eliminated early, the coach still managed to make a difference in the race of one skier. When Wadsworth spotted Russian Anton Gafarov coming over a rise, the athlete was struggling with a broken ski. When no one else made a move to help, Wadsworth ran out to aid him, spare ski in hand.
The coach said he wanted the athlete to have dignity as he crossed the finish line.
Another example is Calgary speedskater Gilmore Junio, who gave up his chance to compete in the 1000m race because he felt teammate Denny Morrison, who hadn’t qualified for the race, was the better skater. Junio said letting Morrison take his place was in the best interest of the team. We can only imagine what an athlete is giving up on a personal level when they put their team first.
