Jennifer Heil Wins Canada’s First Medal Of The Games

The expression on Jennifer Heil’s face said it all.

Flanked by two jubilant U.S. skiers each brandishing the American flag, Heil’s forced smile and dejected posture made it clear she was less than satisfied with a silver medal – the first of any colour for Canada at the 2010 Winter Games. The fresh-faced 26-year-old moguls skier from Spruce Grove, Alta., briefly held first place in Saturday’s rain-soaked final before she was unseated by pigtailed U.S. rival Hannah Kearney, 24. Fellow American freestyler Shannon Bahrke, 30, claimed the bronze.

Afterward, Heil did her best to mask her sadness with a positive attitude and a her trademark 500-watt smile, crediting her medal performance to the countless Canadians who pledged her their support.

“I definitely felt like I could have done better, there’s no doubt about it,” said an emotional Heil. “I was shooting for a gold tonight. But I really do feel like I won silver.”

Of the missing gold, which will be the first-ever to be awarded on Canadian soil, she expressed faith in her fellow Canadian athletes. “It’s coming soon.”

At a bar in downtown Vancouver, fans cheered Heil all the way down the mountain, roaring in unison as she nailed her two high-flying jumps. But after Kearney’s winning run, it was back to the beer and nachos.

In the immediate aftermath of the event, a stunned-looking Heil stood awkwardly clutching her skis while her fellow medallists, visibly elated with their results, each brandished the Stars and Stripes.

“Somebody get her a flag,” one bar patron shouted at the television.

Indeed, Heil’s second-place finish notwithstanding, Saturday was a day of disappointment.

Short-track speedskater Charles Hamelin, 25, from Ste-Julie, Que., failed to qualify for the 1500-metre final – a race in which Olivier Jean of Lachenaie, Que., managed only a fourth-place finish. Jean, also 25, advanced despite being knocked out of his qualifier.

U.S. skating sensation Apolo Anton Ohno, 27, added to his Olympic medal collection, taking silver behind South Korea’s Lee Sung-Ju. It was Ohno’s sixth podium finish, tying him with former long-track star Bonnie Blair for the title of most decorated American Winter Olympian.

“The race was very intense, but I’m not disappointed by my races,” said Hamelin, who easily won the B final. “I think I did a very good race and I will sleep well tonight and focus on the 17th (the 1,000 metres).”

The men’s downhill, where Canada had hoped Manuel Osborne-Paradis of Invermere, B.C., would deliver the first-ever gold medal on home soil, was rescheduled for Monday because of a slushy course, amplifying growing concerns about B.C.’s unco-operative weather.

The enemies of the Vancouver Olympics made good on their threats to disrupt the Games as black-clad protesters marched through downtown city streets, smashing Olympic store windows, splashing red paint and clashing with police.

Tourists and locals alike were left shaking their heads.

“When you break things like this, you alienate regular people who might have agreed with your point of view,” said 46-year-old Vancouver resident Isabella Mori.

“It feels like an attack on everyday people.”

Canada’s Games were also still reeling Saturday from violence of a different sort.

The controversial luge track at the Whistler Sliding Centre in Whistler, B.C., re-opened for training with the men’s starting point moved further down the track, a consequence of the horrific death the day before of 21-year-old Georgian luger Nodar Kumaritashvili.

“One thing I know for sure: No sports mistake is supposed to lead to a death,” said President Mikheil Saakashvili, visiting leader of the former Soviet republic in southwestern Asia.

“No sports mistake is supposed to be fatal.”

Some of the sliders, their spirits visibly dampened, sported black strips of tape on their helmets as they took to a slower, modified track, which included a newly installed wooden wall and padding for the exposed steel posts along the run.

Kumaritashvili’s teammate, Levan Gureshidze, who was spotted at the morning’s training sessions wearing a black armband, had been on the official start list for the competition that began Saturday night, but decided not to compete.

A moment of silence was held at the track before the start of Saturday’s competition in memory of Kumaritashvili, whose photo was displayed on the video scoreboard in the finish-line area.

In the wake of tragedy, meanwhile, there was triumph.

Canada’s women’s hockey team played merciless cat to Slovakia’s hapless mouse, delivering a downright cruel 18-0 drubbing in their first game of the tournament at Canada Hockey House. The Canadians outshot their Slovak rivals 67 to nine.

“There were lopsided scores at the (men’s) world juniors as well,” said veteran Jennifer Botterill as she defended women’s hockey as an Olympics-worthy endeavour.

“Those (Slovak) girls didn’t let up at all. That’s a credit to them. They should be proud of that. We’re lucky in North America that the game is supported. There are lots of opportunities to play. Maybe other countries aren’t at that spot yet, but they will get there.”

The first gold medal of the Games went to Swiss ski jumper Simon Ammann, who joyously punched the air with his fist after snatching the prize from Polish veteran Adam Malysz with a thrilling leap in the final run of the day.

Dutch speedskating star Sven Kramer, 23, took the gold in the men’s 5,000 metres, establishing an Olympic-record time in the bargain and touching off a rendition of “We Are the Champions” from exuberant, orange-clad fans.

Olympic rookie Lucas Makowsky of Regina crossed the line pumping his fist as he saw the time. His face screamed pain as he fought through the final 800 metres to improve on his sea-level personal best by “a good five” seconds. He placed 13th.

Slovakia won its first gold medal at a Winter Olympics when Anastazia Kuzmina surprised the field by taking the women’s 7.5-kilometre biathlon sprint. The winners of the silver and bronze were also a surprise: Germany’s Magdalena Neuner and France’s Marie Dorin.

The only other Slovakian medal at the Winter Games came when Radoslav Zidek won silver in the men’s snowboard cross four years ago in Turin.