Maple Leaf Moments: Defending a Title
Defending a title: On February 13, 2014 speed skater Christine Nesbitt will look to become the first woman to successfully defend her long track 1000m title since American Bonnie Blair in 1992-1994. Nesbitt won the title on the sixth day of competition at Vancouver 2010 and since then has won back-to-back 1000m gold medals at the World Single Distance Championships while also holding the world record time of 1:12.68.
On this day: February 13, 1988 marked the day when Canadians were led into McMahon Stadium in Calgary by flagbearer Brian Orser who would have a silver medal performance in men’s Figure Skating at those very same Games.
February 13, 1994 saw Edi Podivinsky win bronze in the men’s downhill event at the XVII Olympic Winter Games in Lillehammer. Since then, no Canadian alpine skier has been back on the Olympic podium – a streak 2011 world champion Erik Guay hopes to break in Sochi.
Also exactly 37 years ago today, alpine skier Kathy Kreiner-Phillips stood at the top of the podium in the ladies’ giant slalom at the XII Olympic Winter Games in Innsbruck to capture Canada’s only gold medal of the Games.
