Canada's Unprecedented Medal Count

During the 2007-08 World Cup season, Canada’s winter sport athletes won a total 184 medals in the same events that will be contested at the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games. Those medals were collected by 74 athletes who together achieved Canada’s best ever result in World Cup competition. And when Canadian winter athletes weren’t standing on podiums last season, many were often in close reach: Canadians took 56 fourth place finishes and 57 fifth place finishes last season.

Another big cause for Canadian celebration: Canada was the number one nation for the season’s Paralympic winter sport World Cup results.

On target for the 2010 Winter Games

Own the Podium 2010 (OTP) — a winter sport technical initiative designed to help Canada become the number one nation at the 2010 Olympic Winter Games (total medal count) and to place among the top three nations (gold medal count) at the 2010 Paralympic Winter Games — is partly responsible for these celebrations.

“Results this season have demonstrated that Canadian winter athletes and the national winter sport organizations are committed to achieving Canada’s performance goals for the 2010 Winter Games,” said Roger Jackson, chief executive officer for Own the Podium 2010. “They are working harder than ever to prepare for the intensity and pressure they will face in 2010, and we now need to focus on the key factors that will help them convert their fourth and fifth place finishes into podium results in 2010.”

Today (April 23) in Montreal, OTP is gathering Canadian winter sport athletes, corporate partners, OTP partners, national sport organizations, the greater sport community and government officials to celebrate the collective achievements of Canada’s winter World Cup medallists, World Championship medallists and athletes who claimed an overall World Cup title from the recent winter sport season. Among the long list of athlete attendees is Steve Omischl of Kelowna, BC, the 2008 World Cup freestyle aerial skiing champion.

Omischl said the financial and technical support from OTP is a powerful behind-the-scenes supporter to national sport organizations like Freestyle Canada. Whether it’s additional resources for travel, or improvements in equipment or technical expertise, OTP has quietly contributed to the success of athletes this World Cup season so athletes can focus on performing.

“It’s everything in the background — our coaches and Own the Podium 2010 staff are working quite well to make sure that we, the athletes, don’t have to worry about all the stuff that we used to have to worry about five years ago,” said Omischl of OTP’s support. “The biggest thing I can contribute this season’s success to is just that: just putting my skis on and going to compete. It’s a rare thing to happen in sport.”

Top three among nations

Of the nations who will participate in the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games, Germany finished first this winter World Cup season with 230 medals — an increase of 15 from its previous season. Canada placed second overall to Germany with 184 World Cup medals — increasing its medal count from last season by 49. And finishing the season in third place with 173 medals, Austria surpassed the United States which collected 152 medals.

With less than two years until the 2010 Winter Games, OTP indicates that Canada is also on track to reach the goal of being among the top three Paralympic sport nations at the Vancouver 2010 Paralympic Winter Games. Nine Para-Nordic and Para-alpine athletes set a new medal tally record by earning 47 World Cup gold medals in events that are part of the 2010 Paralympic Winter Games sport program.

Overall World Cup champions

Among the 74 Canadians who stood on podiums this winter season, these athletes are overall World Cup champions in their sport: speed skater Kristina Groves (Ottawa,Ontario) in the women’s 1,500 metres; Para-alpine athlete Kimberly Joines (Edmonton, Alberta) in the sit skier category; freestyle skier Steve Omischl (Kelowna, British Columbia) in aerials; Snowboarder Maëlle Ricker (Squamish, British Columbia) in snowboard cross; Para-alpine skier Chris Williamson (Markham, Ontario) in the visually impaired category and guide Nick Brush (Panorama, British Columbia); Para-alpine skier Lauren Woolstencroft (North Vancouver, British Columbia) in the standing skier category; and speed skater Jeremy Wotherspoon (Red Deer, Alberta) in the men’s 500 metres.

If this season is any indication of the medal contenders for the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, Canadians will have a lot to cheer about.