Our Showing In Beijing Ranks Third In All Time Cdn. Olympic Top 10

Posted August 25, 2008 12:00 pm.

This article is more than 5 years old.

Remember two weeks ago when Canadians across the country were groaning in agony contemplating our athletes returning from Beijing without a single medal? It was almost a week into the 2008 Olympics and things weren’t looking good.

And then, from almost out of nowhere, it turned around and we were on fire. In the end, Canada proved what a great second half country it was, winding up with 18 medals in the Games, good for 14th place overall out of a field of 81 nations – a very impressive showing.

Canada wound up with 3 gold, 9 silver and 6 bronze.

So how do the Beijing Games compare with our glories of Olympics past? Pretty well, despite that slow start.

We wound up with the third best showing in our history, tied with 1992 in Spain – a finish no one would have expected at the end of those first nerve wracking seven days.

Canada’s Olympic Top 10

1) 1984: LA
Total medals: 44

2) 1996: Atlanta
Total: 22

3) 2008: Beijing/1992 Barcelona (tie)
Total: 18

4) 1908: London
Total: 16

5) 1932: Los Angeles/1928: Amsterdam (tie)
Total: 15

6) 2000: Sydney
Total: 14

7) 2004: Athens
Total: 12

8) 1976: Montreal
Total: 11

9) 1998: Seoul
Total: 10

10) 1920: Antwerp
Total: 9

Here’s a look back at some of the athletes who helped make this year’s team the stunning success it was.