Athlete: Mark Oldershaw
Event: Men's Sprint Canoe
Country: Canada
Age: 29
Results: Bronze Medal
Talk about pressure to take up canoeing, he is the fifth member and the third generation in his family to compete in the canoe at the Olympics. His grandfather, Bert Oldershaw, competed in the Games in London (1948), Helsinki (1952), and Melbourne (1956). Bert's older sons Dean and Reed competed in Munich (1972) and Montreal (1976). Mark's father Scott (the youngest of the three brothers) canoed in Los Angeles (1984). Now it was Mark's turn to take up the paddle. He raced in Beijing and finished with a respectable 10th place in the 1500m. Though this family is filled with great Olympians and are well-known in the world of canoeing, none had ever taken home a coveted Olympic medal until London 2012. Doing what no other Oldershaw had done before him, Mark was beside himself with joy when he stepped on the podium.
Athlete: Michael Phelps
Sport: Men's Swimming
Country: United States of America
Age: 27
Results: All-Time Medal Count - 22
Love him or hate him, you've got to respect him. I wasn't sure why someone would want to return after winning eight gold medals in one Olympics Games. How are you going to possibly top that? And with the direction the week started off for Phelps in London, he had people wondering if he should have called it quits in Beijing. Not that I think there is any shame in a 4th place finish at the Olympics, but the media had a field day reporting on how Phelps was just not up to par. In Beijing, I remember thinking it was ridiculous that the media was building up a possible eight gold medals on a 23-year-old. Like one gold medal isn't a phenomenal accomplishment. Just making it to the Games is amazing, but by the end of Beijing even I was hoping he would pull it off because I knew the poor guy would never hear the end of seven golds and just a silver. This is why I wondered why he would put himself through another Games when the competition had only got stronger in the past four years. And just like before, I found myself rooting for him to prove the harsh critics wrong who were saying that he wasn't in shape or he just hadn't focused leading up to London. After a couple days of "disappointing" finishes, he finally got the monkey off his back to claim an individual win in the 200 I.M. and beating teammate Ryan Lochte who was not only getting attention for his talent, but also for his looks. Phelps finished the week with a new record: All-Time Medals Won at the Olympics with 18 golds, 2 silvers, and 2 bronze. This record was previously held by Soviet gymnast Larisa Latynina who won 18 medals. Officially retired, it was nice to see him accomplish this feat at his final appearance.
Athlete: Paula Findlay
Sport: Women's Triathlon
Country: Canada
Age: 23
Results: Last Place
Anyone who watched this event on CTV knows how emotional this race was for Paula Findlay. After being ranked number one in the world only a year before, Findlay's race quickly began to unravel from the start. Plagued by a serious hip injury all year left her out of competitions leading up to the Olympics. She received another devastating blow when her coach bailed on her in early June. Forced to take up training alongside fellow Canadian triathlete, Simon Whitfield, Findlay thought she would be ready to compete in London. Her Olympic dreams quickly came to a tearful conclusion when she crossed the line last in 52nd place. It was actually a shock that she finished. At one point, she stopped sobbing to her coach who urged Findlay to continue. She crossed the line and when the media attacked her, she apologized profusely to her family and friends, but especially to everyone watching and cheering back home in Canada. Every person I spoke to about it was either choked up or felt she had no reason to apologize. At 23, everyone is hoping to see her make a comeback in Rio.
Athlete: Usain Bolt
Sport: Men's Athletics
Country: Jamaica
Age: 25
Results: Repeat Gold Medals in both the 100m and 200m.
His goal at this Olympic Games was to become a Legend. To Usain Bolt, winning the gold once in Beijing isn't good enough. To him that doesn't certify him as a legend, but winning it twice in both events does. Though to the rest of the world, he already was a legend and not just for his track skills. His antics on and off the track are notorious: fist pounding lane volunteers, his lightning bolt pose, pictures with the mascot, 3am tweets with pretty girls, etc. Watching his antics is as much fun as watching his race. Though he sometimes borders on the line of cocky, its nice to see a guy not taking it so seriously. Not to mention what he is doing for his country. On an island that is contrasted with resorts and poverty, Bolt gives the people (especially the youth) hope for something more. It was estimated that he has earned more than $20 million dollars through endorsements and he has gave back generously to his country. One of the stipulation in his Puma contract were running shoes for his high school track team. It was simple yet something essential that the kids couldn't afford. It is generosity like this that makes a person legendary.
Athlete: Ye Shiwen
Sport: Women's Swimming
Country: China
Age: 16
Results: Gold Medals in the 200 and 400 I.M.
The teen swimming sensation, Ye Shiwen from China, shocked the world within the first few days in London with her unbelievable win in the 400 I.M. A few hours later, she was being accused for using steroids based on her performance alone. Looking at her, I never would assume she is on steroids. Her built is very average-looking. She actually might be smaller than most of the other girls. But this accusation became one of the top stories in the first few days of the Games. And what she said at the press conference that was held is exactly what I thought too. She said she was being accused based on what country she came from because there were phenomenal performances from other young athletes who were just considered to be great swimmers. They spoke about how she improved her 400 I.M. by five seconds over the past year. This didn't surprise me at all. When I swam, I was improving constantly at 16. The media also pointed out that her last 50 freestyle split was faster than American Ryan Lochte. This didn't surprise me either. Her best stroke is freestyle (which isn't common for someone who swims I.M.) and Lochte proved in multiple races in London that he struggles to finish his swims. He got beat on the last 50 on all the races he lost. Ye said the accusations really affected her during the Games. And can you blame her? None of the young American girls were accused of drug-use and I watched the one girl win the 200m freestyle by a full body length. Ye went on to win the 200 I.M. (and not by a body length either). I truly hope all these accusations prove to be false.
Athlete: Allyson Felix
Sport: Women's Athletics
Country: United States of America
Age: 26
Results: Gold in the 200m
I liked this athlete as soon as I saw her because I just knew she couldn't be on steroids. In a sport that is filled with issues of doping, it is discouraging for young upcoming runners to watch the Olympics. It makes kids think that the only way to achieve a medal in track is to take steroids. After watching her hero, Marion Jones get caught for doping, Felix vowed to always remain honest. She joined Project Believe that allows the US Anti-Doping Agency to test Felix at any time to prove her body is steroid-free. After winning silver in both Athens and Beijing, Felix finally brought home individual gold in the 200m.
What were your favourite Olympic moments?
