Olympic viewing guide: Canada is not done winning medals
CBC
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The Olympics are almost over, but Canadian athletes are not finished. They won four more medals on Friday in Beijing, matching the country's single-day high for these Games. Speed skater Laurent Dubreuil bounced back from a disappointing performance in his best event to win a silver, with help from a classy move by a Dutch opponent. Brad Gushue's team salvaged a bronze, ensuring Canada did not get blanked in curling. And Cassie Sharpe (silver) and Rachael Karker (bronze) both reached the podium in the women's ski halfpipe, alongside Chinese/American star Eileen Gu.
With two days left, Canada has already exceeded some projections by winning 24 medals (4 gold, 7 silver, 13 bronze). Only Norway (34) and the disgraced Russian Olympic Committee team (27) have collected more.
And, like we said, Canada is not done yet. There are a few strong medal opportunities coming up on Day 15. Here's what to watch on Friday night and Saturday morning:
We saw it building over the last few years, and especially this season on the World Cup circuit, but the Canadian long track program really cemented its resurgence at these Olympics. With four medals so far, the team has already doubled its output from each of the previous two Winter Olympics, and it has a great chance to add a fifth medal on the final day of competition in the oval in Beijing.
Ivanie Blondin is ranked No. 1 in the World Cup standings in the women's mass start — the short-track-style event where everyone skates at once, rather than the time-trial format typically used in long track. Last year, the 31-year-old took silver in the mass start at the world championships for the third time. The year before, she won her second gold.
Blondin was also part of the Canadian trio that won gold in the women's team pursuit a few days ago, helping teammate Isabelle Weidemann capture her third medal of these Olympics. The other skater on that team, Valérie Maltais, is competing in the mass start too, though she's considered a long shot for a medal. The event starts with the semifinals at 2:45 a.m. ET. The top eight in each heat advance to the final at 4 a.m. ET.
There's also a men's mass start happening, with the semis at 2 a.m. ET and the final at 3:30 a.m. ET. Canadians Jordan Belchos and Antoine Gélinas-Beaulieu aren't favoured to reach the podium, though they did take silver and bronze, respectively, at the 2020 world championships in Salt Lake City and Belchos placed fourth at last year's worlds in the Dutch bubble. Plus, this event looks pretty wide open, with no clear front-runner. So don't count them out.
The favourite to win the women's event is Netherlands star Irene Schouten, who's going for her third individual gold medal of these Olympics. Another Dutchwoman, Marijke Groenewoud, is the reigning world champion. And, though she's not expected to contend for a medal, hats off to Germany's Claudia Pechstein, who turns 50 (!) on Tuesday. This is her eighth Olympics, and it might have been her ninth if she wasn't banned from the 2010 Games for a doping violation. Pechstein picked up her first Olympic medal in 1992, and she's won five Olympic golds.
Speaking of legends, the women's mass start will also be the final Olympic event for iconic CBC Sports broadcaster Steve Armitage, who announced his retirement today. Relive some of the best calls of his remarkable career in the tribute video below:
In chronological order:
Freestyle skiing: men's halfpipe final at 8:30 p.m. ET
With three Canadians making it through qualifying, there's a solid chance of adding a men's medal to those won by Sharpe and Karker in the women's event last night.
Brendan Mackay appears to have the best chance. The 24-year-old Olympic rookie placed fifth in qualifying and is the co-leader in the World Cup standings with American Alex Ferreira. Noah Bowman was sixth in qualifying as he looks to improve on his fifth-place showings at each of the last two Winter Olympics. Simon d'Artois, eighth in qualifying, was the silver medallist at last year's world championships.
