February 21, 2010   (Whistler, BC) – There was gripping action at WOP on Saturday u

nder bluebird skies, with temperatures so warm that a number of people attended the race clad in bikinis. First Simon Ammann (SUI) won the gold medal on the large hill in ski jumping, and seems at the moment to be a step above all other jumpers. Then over at the cross-country ski venue it was a great race in the men’s pursuit and an equally great day for Team Canada.

In a race won by Swedish speedster Marcus Hellner, with German Tobias Angerer taking the silver and Johan Olsson (SW

E) the bronze, the biggest cheers were reserved for the home team – Canada.

In an incredibly feel-good day Dave Wood’s [Canadian Team Leader] male charges were hot, hot, hot!! Try Ivan Babikov in 5th, Goerge Grey in 8th, Alex Harvey in 9th and Devon Kershaw in 16th. In what must certainly be the Canadian men’s best Olympic performance as a team ever.

Immediately following the race I caught up with friend and CTV expert commentator Jack Sasseville, who shared his observations. “This is by far the best result ever from a depth point of view for Canada – 5th is our best-ever male result but four in the top 16 is extraordinary. They were actually the best men’s team out there today – better than any other team that was in the race today.”

I asked Sasseville if this raised hopes for a top relay finish. “Without question Devon is one of the best starters in the world in a relay. In 2006 he won the first leg of the relay, so you might put Devon out first and then those other three guys – wow, it should be a lot of fun.”

Also joining the joyous gathering of happy Canadians around the finish line area was Olympic gold medalist Beckie Scott. “This was history today with the Canadian men,” said Scott, “To have four in the top 16 was brilliant. They really shined today and it was so exciting. One thing we see for both the men’s and women’s teams is a sense of fearlessness right now and a very strong desire, or motivation to win.

The top American was James Southam in 34th place, 5:34 off Hellner’s winning time of 1:15:11.4. Kris Freeman was in 45th place and had severe back cramps both during and following the race. Later in the day the US Ski Team announced that Freeman was suffering from diabetes related issues during the race.

Quotes of the day..

On winning the gold while his friend Johan Olsson was also sharing the podium, Hellner said, “This feeling is very good. When one of my best friends is on the podium the feeling is even better.”

On winning the gold in Large Hill ski jumping Swiss ace Simon Ammann said, “Maybe it’s because of the magic I’ve had here in North America, I must say that this is absolutely fantastic to achieve this results.”

The top Norwegians in today’s pursuit were Petter Northug in 11th, and Martin Johnsrud Sunby in 18th. Sunday will be a day off for me, and I need it. The Games are going great !