Congratulations to Canada who have won their first ever Winter Olympic Gold Medal on home soil through Alexandre Bilodeau.With a whole nation seemingly on his back, Bilodeau was able to produce a near flawless run in the final of the men's moguls to win gold from Australia's Dale-Begg Smith and America's Byron Taylor.
It is hard to fathom how much of a relief this victory is to the Canadian people. After failing to win a gold medal at the 1988 Games in Calgary, the nation can finally breathe easy.
It was gripping television. Begg-Smith was fourth last to compete and took the lead with an amazing run that scored 26.58. But Bilodeau pulled out a stunning run to score 26.75, just two runs after Begg-Smith.
As the final results were announced, Bilodeau jumped out of his seat in pure joy. But it was hard not to notice the devastation on the face of Begg-Smith.
After winning gold in Turino just four years earlier, the Canadian turned Australian had thought he'd done enough to become the first Australian to win back-to-back gold medals after his run. Unfortunately, it wasn't meant to be and as he accepted his flowers at the venue, it was evident that Begg-Smith went to Vancouver to win gold only and that silver wasn't good enough.
I am absolutely fascinated by the Winter Games at the moment. My respect for these athletes continues to rise.
From an Australian perspective, our two best chances of a gold medal lie with Torah Bright (snowboard) and Lydia Lassila (aerial skiing).
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