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The Olympic Winter Games returned to Canada after a 22-year absence as Vancouver hosted the XXI Olympic Winter Games from 12 to 28 February 2010.
Approximately 5,500 athletes and officials from 82 National Olympic Committees attended the Vancouver Games.
Events were held across three areas of the British Columbia region; the ice hockey, curling, figure skating, ice dance and speed skating events took place in Vancouver, while freestyle skiing and snowboarding was held on Cypress Mountain. The alpine skiing, nordic skiing and sliding events were held in Whistler, 120 km north of Vancouver.
The Opening Ceremony was dedicated to Georgian luger Nodar Kumaritashvili who suffered a fatal accident on his final training run at the Whistler Sliding Centre. The Georgian team decided to stay and compete in honour of their teammate. The Organising Committee (VANOC) had to deal with unseasonably warm and wet weather on Cypress Mountain during the competition, as Vancouver experienced one of its warmest winters on record. VANOC reacted by moving snow from higher up the mountain to avoid any delay to the competition schedule.
Canada had previously hosted two Olympic Games, yet they had never been enjoyed the success of a home Olympic gold previously. The honour of ending this drought went to Alexandre Bilodeau in the men’s moguls three days into the Games. Canada went on to win 14 gold medals, more than any other host nation in the Olympic history and enough to put the hosts at the top of the medals table.
The USA claimed 37 medals overall (9 gold, 15 silver and 13 bronze) which was more than any other nation had won at an Olympic Winter Games. South Korea once again dominated the skating events, winning all 14 of their medals on the ice.
Team GB
Amy Williams claimed Great Britain’s first individual gold medal for 30 years at an Olympic Winter Games with an outstandingly consistent performance to claim victory in the women’s skeleton on her Olympic debut. The 27 year-old from Bath led from the start and increased upon her 0.30secs overnight lead to claim gold by a margin of 0.56 secs over four runs. Williams broke the track record by 0.15 secs on her way to the title.
This was Team GB’s first gold medal at a Winter Olympics since Rhona Martin led Britain’s women’s curling team to gold in 2002 and first individual female gold since figure skater Jeanette Altwegg in 1952.
Team GB athletes achieved nine top eight finishes at the Vancouver Games. In the skeleton competition, Williams won gold and teammate, Turin 2006 silver medallist, Shelley Rudman placed sixth. Kristan Bromley also placed sixth in the men’s competition. The men’s curlers ended their campaign in fifth, missing out on a place in the bronze medal match after losing to Sweden in the play-off decider. The women’s team came in seventh place. Jon Eley came sixth in the men’s individual 500m short track speed skatng and the men’s 5000m short track relay team also placed sixth. John and Sinead Kerr finished eighth in ice dancing and Zoe Gillings ranked eighth in the women’s snowboard cross.
Many of Team GB’s ‘Best of British’ athletes were successful in achieving personal best performances. Ice dancers Nick Buckland and Penny Coomes, making their first appearance at an Olympic Games, achieved a personal best of 71.60 in their free dance routine. Fellow debutants David King and Stacey Kemp achieved a personal best score of 139.94 to finish 16th in the pairs ice skating competition.
Also on the ice, Jon Eley skated a personal best time in the 1000m and Elise Christie achieved her best world level finishing position of 11th in the women’s 500m short track speed skating, at her debut Games. Chemmy Alcott and AJ Rosen both equalled their best Olympic finishes in the women’s downhill and men’s luge competitions respectively.
Biathlete Lee Jackson matched his personal best time in the 10k sprint to become the first Briton to qualify for the Olympic pursuit by finishing 55th and there was also a personal best for Paula Walker and Kelly Thomas who came 11th in the women’s bobsleigh.
Of the 52 athletes Team GB took to the Vancouver Games, 36 made their Olympic debut. Among these debutants was Eve Muirhead who became the youngest ever curling skip in Olympic history at 19.
Many of Team GB’s young athletes aim to use the experience gained in Vancouver to peak at the next Olympic Winter Games which will take place in Sochi, Russia in 2014.