Super Shocks
Doggone It!
Major Mishaps
It was the 1976 Games in Innsbruck, Austria, and the women’s 10km cross-country event was underway. A young Canadian athlete was skiing faster than she ever had before. It seemed almost certain that she would win a medal. Then came a major interruption. Just as the skier was nearing the finish line, a big brown dog bounded onto the course and jumped up on her. Shocked, the athlete hurled one of her ski poles off to the side, hoping the dog would chase after it. Sure enough, the dog ran off to fetch the pole. The skier finished the race, but the dog cost her a medal.
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Lots of odd and shocking incidents have occurred at the Winter Games over the years. Below are four bizarre Olympic tales, each with a Canadian connection. Three of the stories are true, and one is false. Guess which one we made up!
A Little Too Freestyle It was the 2006 Games in Turin, Italy, and a Canadian skier was practising for his freestyle aerials event. Just as he launched himself off a jump and began a flip, something unexpected happened. Both of his skis flew off! As the athlete twisted and spun through the air, his skis soared behind him, narrowly missing his head. Amazingly, the skier managed to land on his butt and roll through the snow without hurting himself. He was even able to compete the next day!
Snow Stoppers In the early years of the Winter Olympics, skating and hockey events were often held on outdoor rinks. This worked fine… as long as the weather cooperated! At the 1936 Games in Germany, the Canadian and Polish hockey teams played their round-one match on a frozen lake, in a brutal snowstorm. Snow fell so heavily that it blinded the players and made it impossible to skate. The game had to be stopped several times in order to clear the ice of snow or retrieve the puck from massive snowbanks. At one point it looked like the puck had gone missing for good. Play was delayed for several minutes as people searched and searched through the snow. Finally, the puck was discovered… under an attendant’s foot! KAYAK #31 JAN/FEB 10
KAYAK #31 JAN/FEB 10
In 2002, a popular skating event took a crazy turn at the Salt Lake City Games. On February 16, a huge crowd gathered to watch the 1000m men’s short-track speed skating final. Five skaters, including a Canadian, were competing. It was a thrilling race. Lap after lap, the skaters glided around the track at breakneck speeds. But as they neared the final bend, a surprise collision sent four of the athletes spinning and crashing into the boards. The fifth athlete, an Australian, had been trailing so far behind the others that he was untouched by the collision. He sailed past the fallen athletes and took the gold! Seconds later, the Canadian skater, bleeding and injured, slid across the finish line and won the bronze.
KAYAK #31 JAN/FEB 10
Illustrations: http://www.anthonybrennan.net
Wipeout!
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