The Blues were well represented at the recent international athletic festivities in Italy, but these competitors were not just content with merely enjoying the fresh Italy air. They held their own at the Games and managed to bring hardware back to Canada.
Three former student-athletes from U of T brought home medals from the recent Winter Olympic Games in Turin, while a fourth narrowly missed the podium.
Hockey players Vicky Sunohara and Jayna Hefford, former stars with U of T’s women’s hockey team, were part of the gold medal-winning team in Italy. In men’s figure skating, Jeffrey Buttle skated superbly in the long program to win a bronze medal. Last but not least, Heather Moyse-competing in the two-man bobsled event with pilot Helen Upperton-raced to a fourth-place finish in her sport.
Sunohara and Hefford have been stalwarts of the Canadian national team for many years. They were part of the team that won gold in Salt Lake City four years ago and have been victorious at numerous world championships as well.
For many years now, the quest for women’s hockey glory has been a battle between Canada and the U.S. This time Sweden claimed a spot in the final with an upset win over the American team, which is a sign that times are changing and that the level of skill in women’s hockey is increasing worldwide.
In the final game against Sweden, Hefford scored Canada’s fourth goal. She ended the tournament with three goals and four assists, while Sunohara finished with one goal and two assists.
With this Olympic victory, Canada was able to regain its top ranking in women’s hockey. Heading into the Games, they were tied with the United States.
Both Hefford and Sunohara are unsure if they will return to play for Canada at the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver. The depth of talent on the Canadian women’s team is huge, with players like Gillian Apps and Meghan Agosta nipping at the heels of the seasoned veterans, so it will be hard to crack the lineup in Vancouver.
At the Palavela rink, Buttle shocked his critics and himself when he rebounded from a sub-par performance in the short program to win a bronze medal. Buttle was heavily favoured to win a medal heading into the Olympics, but doing so didn’t seem possible after he placed sixth in the short program.
The former chemical engineering student, who is on a leave of absence from his studies to focus on his skating career, scored big technical and program-component marks in his long program to clinch third place on a night when many top skaters were not at their best.
“I just decided that instead of skating for a medal, I was going to skate for myself,” Buttle told reporters after the long program. “I enjoyed myself and I’m sure that made all the difference.”
Bobsledder Moyse, an occupational therapy student, is a member of the Canadian national rugby team and a former track and field athlete at the University of Waterloo. She was recruited for the bobsled team because of her athletic background. She had amazing results on the World Cup circuit, winning silver and bronze medals. Not bad for someone who hasn’t even been competing in her sport for a year.
Moyse is also on a leave of absence from her studies this year.
It’s unclear whether Canada’s team will have these talented U of T athletes at the next Olympics, but Moyse and Buttle have hinted at continuing to compete until the 2010 Games. U of T has a long history of excelling at the Games and, either way, will have a set of star athletes ready to wear the Maple Leaf with pride when it comes time to light the Olympic flame in Vancouver.
