KIDWCKED
02-15-2010, 02:47 PM
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ESPN.com news services
WEST VANCOUVER, British Columbia -- Instead of talking about oh-fers, Canada can start the real Olympic celebration.
The host country is on the board with its first gold medal, thanks to the upset pulled off by Alexandre Bilodeau, who won the men's moguls Sunday night to finally become the first Canadian to win an Olympic title inside his own country's borders.
Ford: Golden Moment
When it came to ending Canada's streak of not winning gold medals at home, the third time was a charm, writes Bonnie Ford.
Skis skidding across the slippery slush, head moving in rhythm with the bumps, Bilodeau showed all the speed, daring and borderline recklessness a skier must show to make history.
He tore down the course in 23.17 seconds and posted a score of 26.75. That was .17 points better than defending champion Dale Begg-Smith, a Vancouver native who now competes for Australia.
"I don't think I realize what's actually going on today and what's happening to me right now," Bilodeau said.
Alexandre Bilodeau celebrates his gold-medal performance.
Bryon Wilson of the United States finished third, while teammate Michael Morse was 15th. Bilodeau nailed his winning run after Wilson. When the next and final skier, Guilbaut Colas of France, finished and had his sixth-place score flashed on the board, the Canadian crowd went crazy.
It has been nearly 34 years since the cauldron was first lit for the Summer Games in Montreal, and 22 since the last Canadian games in Calgary.
Now, the games are in Vancouver. And the land of the Maple Leaf has its moment.
ESPN.com news services
WEST VANCOUVER, British Columbia -- Instead of talking about oh-fers, Canada can start the real Olympic celebration.
The host country is on the board with its first gold medal, thanks to the upset pulled off by Alexandre Bilodeau, who won the men's moguls Sunday night to finally become the first Canadian to win an Olympic title inside his own country's borders.
Ford: Golden Moment
When it came to ending Canada's streak of not winning gold medals at home, the third time was a charm, writes Bonnie Ford.
Skis skidding across the slippery slush, head moving in rhythm with the bumps, Bilodeau showed all the speed, daring and borderline recklessness a skier must show to make history.
He tore down the course in 23.17 seconds and posted a score of 26.75. That was .17 points better than defending champion Dale Begg-Smith, a Vancouver native who now competes for Australia.
"I don't think I realize what's actually going on today and what's happening to me right now," Bilodeau said.
Alexandre Bilodeau celebrates his gold-medal performance.
Bryon Wilson of the United States finished third, while teammate Michael Morse was 15th. Bilodeau nailed his winning run after Wilson. When the next and final skier, Guilbaut Colas of France, finished and had his sixth-place score flashed on the board, the Canadian crowd went crazy.
It has been nearly 34 years since the cauldron was first lit for the Summer Games in Montreal, and 22 since the last Canadian games in Calgary.
Now, the games are in Vancouver. And the land of the Maple Leaf has its moment.