- Title: CANADA: WINTER OLYMPICS VANCOUVER 2010 - Canada strikes gold in men's skeleton
- Date: 21st February 2010
- Summary: WHISTLER, BRITISH COLUMBIA CANADA (FEBRUARY 19, 2010) (REUTERS) ***CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY*** (SOUNDBITE) (English) CANADIAN GOLD MEDALLIST JON MONTGOMERY SAYING: "As the commentator said last year at the World Cup Whistler race Jon's quiet in the head. I'm not sure if that is necessarily true but I was just trying to be as quiet as possible. Just with nerves, with you know not getting ahead of yourself, not thinking about the finish line or corner seven or the tough points on the track. Focusing on the start, then corner two, what was right before my nose and not getting ahead of myself." VARIOUS OF CROWDS CHEERING FOR MONTGOMERY (SOUNDBITE) (English) SANNA MARSH, MONTGOMERY FAN, SAYING: "Oh it's fantastic. So wonderful. We're so proud, just pride. It's so good." (SOUNDBITE) (English) DAN NEWELL, MONTGOMERY FAN, SAYING: "Now they've got one, they're just going to keep getting more." (SOUNDBITE) (English) ANNABELLE FOSSET MONTGOMERY FAN, SAYING: "Oh my God, oh so happy. Two golds in one day, who could ask for more?" (SOUNDBITE) (English) FRANK COLLERI, MONTGOMERY FAN, SAYING: "This is the first Whistler one, this is the first Whistler gold." MONTGOMERY SHAKING HANDS WITH THE CROWD
- Embargoed: 8th March 2010 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Canada
- Country: Canada
- Topics: Sports
- Reuters ID: LVA92JHMFC7AYBNX9VE7220NWVIM
- Story Text: Canadian gold medal winner Jon Montgomery apologised to his rival Martins Dukurs after pipping the Latvian to the top of the podium by just 0.07 seconds on Friday (February 19).
Having made a superb slide, as the penultimate man to go, Montgomery stood and watched as Dukurs made a run that could have turned him into Latvia's first Winter Games winner.
But Dukurs, who has been outstanding all week, got his line badly wrong on his last run and handed victory to Montgomery, who responded by punching the air and roaring his delight to a celebrating Canadian crowd.
"I've seen it once now and I knew after it happened that it looked a little delirious like I'd stuck my finger in a light socket or was struck by lightning. But honestly, before that run I told myself that should I end with a gold medal and Martin Dukurs not that I would try to maintain some composure and be respectful of the fact that somebody lost. I had to apologise to him because I couldn't do it. I couldn't muster it I lost my mind," Montgomery said.
Asked if he felt pressure competing on home territory, the 30-year-old from Manitoba said: "There was no pressure.
"Pressure is something that I suppose you put on yourself. I know that I had my family and my town, all of Canada behind me and I looked at it as a sport and I knew that should I come away with it with something other than gold the people that really matter in my life would be respectful of that and proud of me for what I've achieved regardless," he added.
Crowds in Whistler went wild after the skeleton race trying to get a glimpse of the first Canadian to win a gold medal in the resort town.
Montgomery fan Sanna Marsh said his win was "fantastic. So wonderful. We're so proud, just pride. It's so good."
Spectator Dan Newell seemed to think that Montgomery may just start a winning streak for Canada.
"Now they've got one, they're just going to keep getting more," he said.
Montgomery, who has a maple leaf tattooed on his chest said he has no intention of retiring yet and intends to defend his crown in Sochi in 2014. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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