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Athlete to Watch – Thursday, February 25

25 Feb

Joannie Rochette


Joannie Rochette – Ladies Figure Skating

After one of the most courageous skates in Olympic history on Tuesday, Joannie Rochette is ready to skate her heart out again tonight during the Ladies’ Free Skate. Currently ranked fifth in the world, Rochette rocketed to third place after a flawless short program and is looking to be the first Canadian woman to win an Olympic medal in women’s figure skating since Elizabeth Manley in 1988! Even if she doesn’t win a medal, her brave performance on Tuesday made her a champion in the hearts of all Canadians!

Athletes to Watch – Wednesday, February 24

24 Feb

Kaillie Humphries and Heather Moyse

Kaillie Humphries and Heather Moyse – Women’s Bobsleigh


Kaillie Humphries and Heather Moyse will be bobbing for medals tonight as they compete in women’s bobsleigh! And what a difference four years makes – in 2006 Humphries actually lost her spot in the Olympics to Moyse when she tripped over a hose and injured her foot! Disappointed, she switched gears and focused her attention on becoming a driver. It’s a good thing she did – after setting a track record with two sizzling runs yesterday, the pair are in first place and won’t stop pushing themselves until they’ve won Gold!

Athlete to Watch – Tuesday, February 23

23 Feb

Roberto Luongo

Roberto Luongo – Men’s Hockey
The pressure’s on for Roberto Luongo as he steps into the net for Team Canada today as they take on Germany. After a disappointing 5-3 loss to the US, Canada needs to win tonight or else they are out of the medal round. With everything on the line, Luongo says he’s ready to make Canada proud! He’ll have the entire country behind him, particularly his hometown crowd of Vancouver – Luongo is the goalie for the Vancouver Canucks!

Athlete to Watch – Monday, February 22nd

22 Feb

Hayley Wickenheiser

Hayley Wickenheiser – Women’s Hockey
Tonight, all eyes will be on Ice Dancers Tessa Virtue & Scott Moir who are poised to skate away with the Gold Medal (hey, we called it earlier this week!) But another athlete primed for Gold is Women’s Hockey captain Hayley Wickenheiser! A veteran of three Olympic Games, Wickenheiser already has two Olympic Gold medals and is looking to add a third. Arguably the best female hockey player of all time, she also plays in a Swedish men’s pro league! Any Swedish she may have picked up will come in handy tonight, as Team Canada goes head-to-head with Sweden in the semi-finals. Go Canada!

Athlete to Watch: Friday, February 19

19 Feb

Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir

Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir – Ice Dancing
These ice-dancing phenoms are ready to glide straight to the top of the podium! Big things are expected from the three-time Canadian champions and reigning World Silver medalists. Both skaters were born in London, Ontario, and started skating together in 1997 when she was seven and he was nine! The years of preparation have paid off, and they are geared up for Gold in Vancouver!

Athlete to Watch – Thursday, February 18

18 Feb

Mellisa Hollingsworth

Mellisa Hollingsworth: Skeleton

If you think Halloween skeletons are scary, try hurdling headfirst down an icy track at 100km per hour – now THAT’s frightening! But if you’re World Skeleton champion Mellisa Hollingsworth, you wouldn’t have it any other way. Mellisa almost quit Skeleton after she didn’t make the Olympic team in 2002 – but it’s a good thing she didn’t! After picking up an Olympic Bronze medal in 2006, and winning this year’s World Cup, Melissa is on track to take home the Gold in Vancouver! This is one Canadian to keep your eye on – though it’ll look pretty blurry at the speed she’s going!

Athlete to Watch: Tuesday, February 16

16 Feb

Maelle Ricker

Maelle Ricker – Women’s Snowboard Cross

Ranked number one in the world in women’s snowboard cross, Maelle is favoured to bring home Canada’s second gold medal of these Games! This two-time Olympic veteran has undergone six knee surgeries but still came out on top, earning her the nickname ‘Mighty Mouse”! She used to compete in both snowboard cross and the halfpipe, but gave up on her halfpipe dreams in this Olympics to focus on her specialty! She was born in Whistler too, so you know she’ll ride that applause all the way to the podium!

Athlete to Watch: Monday, February 15

15 Feb

Alex Gough

Alex Gough – Luge (Women’s Singles)

Alex Gough slides into competition today in women’s luge! After her fourth place finish at this year’s World Championships – the best-ever Canadian luge result in history – Alex is on track to win Canada’s first luge medal ever! At just 21 years old, Alex’s youth, rock-and-roll attitude and lip ring make her stand out from the crowd, but if you think that it will keep her off the podium you’re de-luge-ional!

Athlete to Watch: Saturday, February 13

13 Feb

Charles Hamelin: Short Track Speed Skating – 1500m Finals

Who will be the first Canadian to take home a medal? Team Canada has its hopes set high for 24-year old Charles Hamelin to break the ice! Charles is a Montreal native whose brother Francois AND girlfriend Marianna St-Gelaisare are both on the Olympic short track team. Did we mention his dad is the team director? Way to keep it in the family – we bet his mom is the head cheerleader! Ranked number 2 in the world at the 1500m, Charles has already won seven World Cup Gold Medals. An Olympic Gold in Vancouver would be the icing on the ice!

(Heidi Brander)

Athlete to Watch: Friday February 12

12 Feb

Stefan Read: NH Individual Ski Jumping

Stefan Read

Stefan Read is about to jump headfirst into Olympic competition! Before the Opening Ceremonies even begin, Stefan will be taking a leap of faith towards a medal in Individual Ski Jumping. Read is the most experienced competitor on the men’s ski jumping team, the team leader, it’s only Olympic veteran, and he’s only 22 years old! Skiing runs in the Read family – his uncle Ken is a former member of the “Crazy Canucks”, the famous Canadian alpine ski team. Good luck Stefan – with you on the team, Canada’s medal chances are soaring!

(Heidi Brander)