Canadian Olympic Foundation
Inspiring young faces of Team Canada at Lillehammer 2016
As the saying goes, all good things must come to an end. It’s certainly true as the Lillehammer 2016 Youth Olympic Winter Games draw to a close.
Tyler Tardi CAN is seen in action during the Mixed Doubles Finals Bronze Medal Game at Lillehammer Curling Hall during the Winter Youth Olympic Games, Lillehammer, Norway, 21 February 2016. Photo: Jon Buckle for YIS/IOC Handout image supplied by YIS/IOC
Team Canada brings home 7 Youth Olympic medals – 3 gold, 2 silver and 2 bronze. Podium results aside, these last 10 days have been inspiring; full of personal bests, lessons learned, fresh perspectives, powerful experiences and new friendships for the 54 Canadians athletes who took part.
Canadian Medallists
Gold:
Brooke Apshkrum, women’s singles luge
Reece Howden, men’s ski cross
Mary Fay, Karlee Burgess, Tyler Tardi and Sterling Middleton, mixed team curling
Silver:
Ali Nullmeyer, women’s alpine, slalom
Men’s Ice Hockey Team
Bronze:
Reid Watts, men’s singles luge
Marjorie Lajoie and Zachary Lagha, ice dance, mixed NOC team figure skating
“The Youth Olympic Games are a great opportunity for young athletes to wear their country’s colors, most likely for the first time, and experience the Olympic spirit firsthand,” says Lisa Patterson, cross country ski coach and program development coordinator. “The YOG gives them a taste of the future international opportunities that are open to them if they continue to work hard toward their goals. Most will have in one week experienced the ups and downs, the highs and lows that make up the essence of a sport career and prepares them for life in general.”
Allan McShane CAN celebrates after scoring during the Ice Hockey men’s final between Canada and USA at the Kristins Hall during the Winter Youth Olympic Games, Lillehammer, Norway, 21 February 2016. Photo: Jed Leicester for YIS/IOC Handout image supplied by YIS/IOC
“It was inspiring to see the amazing performances and hear the stories of how they found their sports and what they do each day to reach such a high level at such a young age,” added Canadian Olympic Committee President and four-time Olympian Tricia Smith. “And they competed with grit, determination and such maturity. YOG is all about giving them the tools to become even better athletes and leaders in their communities. I look forward to continuing to watch them grow in the future, a future that looks very bright.”
Click here to donate to aspiring Olympians; to help provide them with the performance resources they need to achieve their podium dreams.
These next generation athletes have done Canada proud and there’s a lot to look forward to for Team Canada fans as these incredible young athletes continue on their Olympic journey. Keep your eyes peeled for some of these young studs at PyeongChang 2018, Beijing 2022 and beyond.
Celebrate their accomplishments and reflect on Lillehammer 2016!
Canada’s Ryan Merkley gets a powerplay goal of his own to put Canada on the board, now 2-1 pic.twitter.com/9asKxGQbD8
— CBC Sports (@cbcsports) February 21, 2016
