The 2012 London Olympics will be remembered for exceeding organizers expectations, for proving doubters wrong and more importantly for Canadians our female athletes were given a platform to showcase their talents in a way they’ve never had before.
I measure an Olympic Games in memorable and impactful moments. For the Canadian Olympic team, the women clearly won the battle from start to finish in London, creating the lion’s share of our flashbulb memories for years to come.
Four-time Olympian Emilie Heymans and her synchro diving partner jumpstarted Canada’s podium pursuit, winning our first medal of the Games. The bronze medal for Heymans was her fourth consecutive Games with at least one medal, the first Canadian and first female diver to accomplish the remarkable feat of longevity and consistency.
Twenty-three-year old Rosie MacLennan jumped to gold in the women’s trampoline competition, finishing as our only athlete to stand on top of the podium in London.
For many though, seeing Canada’s women’s soccer team overcome adversity — and what even the most objective observer would call hard luck refereeing — to win the bronze medal against a talented French squad on a last second goal by midfielder Diana Matheson was the defining moment at the Olympics for the red-and-white.
The semifinal game featuring Canada and the United States was a classic tilt, clearly reflected by the TV ratings.
The heartbreaking loss drew 10.7 million Canadian viewers during the epic contest. Those numbers exceeded Game 7 of the Stanley Cup finals between the Vancouver Canucks and Boston Bruins and were second only to the Canada’s gold medal triumph over the U.S. in men’s hockey at the 2010 Olympic Games.
There can be no doubt the Canadian women’s soccer team rose to new heights in exposure, in media coverage, in national support in London.
Team captain Christine Sinclair, the women’s soccer tournament’s golden boot winner with six goals, was deservedly chosen as the flag bearer for the closing ceremony. The fact her closest nominees for the honour were women — MacLennan, Heymans right at the top of the list — only further proves the impact female athletes had on the Canadian Olympic journey.
Gender equity also took a big step forward at the XXX Olympic Games. For the first time in Olympic history Saudi Arabia had female athletes on its national team. Judoka Wokdan Ali Seraj Adbulrahim Shahrkani and track and field athlete Sarah Attar made history for their country, who along with Qatar and Brunei finally introduced female athletes in London, marking the first Olympics in which every national team featured at least one woman.
There’s a tendency for the light to dim on the attention athletes receive once the competitions have closed and the four-year wait until the next Summer Olympics begin.
It’s incumbent on supporters of Canadian sport to get behind the athletes during their hiatus from the pinnacle of international competition. There are plenty of national and international championships in Canada every year featuring our elite female and male athletes.
I suggest we keep following Christine Sinclair on twitter, keep sending encouraging messages to triathlete Paula Findlay as she begins her quest for redemption at the 2016 Games in Rio De Janeiro, and go out and support our athletes in droves when they compete on home soil.
Let’s make sure we don’t let the stokes of momentum for Canadian female athletics extinguish with the Olympic flame.
