Tuesday, February 26, 2002
Gagnon still beaming about Olympic gold medal
TORONTO (CP) -- Marc Gagnon says he's living proof hard work and perseverance do pay off.
Denied an individual short-track speed-skating gold medal at the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan, Gagnon made it his personal crusade to accomplish the feat at the 2002 Salt Lake City Games. His dedication and sacrifice paid off when, after qualifying for the final on a disqualification, Gagnon finally claimed that elusive gold medal by winning the men's 500-metre race Saturday.
"I've been skating for a long time and went to two Olympics and never got the individual gold medal that I was looking for," Gagnon said Tuesday. "But I didn't quit and kept working hard.
"I just hope people will learn from it and will work to (achieve) their dreams."
The four-time world champion didn't have much time to savour his 500-metre victory Saturday night. Some 90 minutes later, he was back on the ice leading the 5,000-metre relay team to victory.
Gagnon, 26, of Chicoutimi, Que., and other members of the short-track team had their Olympic medals on full display Tuesday during a news conference at RW & Co., a men's and women's clothier that has sponsored the squad since 1999.
Speed skaters captured nine of Canada's record 17 medals at Salt Lake, with the short-track squad claiming six.
Gagnon won three medals -- gold in the 500 and the relay, bronze in the 1,500 -- to boost his career total to five, making him the most decorated Canadian Winter Games athlete.
Gagnon, a three-time Olympian, and Phillip Edwards are the only Canadian athletes to win five Olympic medals. Edwards claimed five track and field bronze medals over three Summer Games (1928, 1932, 1936).
Being Canada's most decorated winter Olympian is starting to sink in, Gagnon said, "but honestly, the last few days I'm been focusing more on what I did individually because I waited for that gold for a long time."
Canadian team coach Guy Thibault said the pressure of expectation Gagnon faced at Salt Lake was enormous. But Thibault said he noticed a calmer, looser Gagnon after he won the 1,000-metre bronze earlier in the week.
"That bronze was the first (individual) race Marc had ever finished at an Olympics and it definitely took a lot of the weight off his shoulders," Thibault said. "Then you saw the real Marc Gagnon, relaxed and having fun on the ice."
Gagnon says he'll only commit to competing next season, then take each campaign on a yearly basis. The 2006 Winter Games are slated for Turin, Italy.
"We'll see," Gagnon said when asked if he had another Olympic competition in him. "It all depends on how my body holds up.
"I'm not going to keep going for four years if I'm going to be 25th in the world. As long as I'm where I am, then I'll keep doing it."
Should Gagnon decide against competing in Italy, Thibault said there's no shortage of heir apparents on the national team. The most likely candidates are Montreal's Jonathan Guilmette, 23, (silver in the 500, gold in the relay), Mathieu Turcotte, 25, of Sherbrooke, Que. (bronze in the 1,000, gold in the relay) and Francois-Louis Tremblay, 21, of Boucherville, Que. (gold in the relay).
"We have a young team that in four years will be stronger," Thibault said. "And the thing is Marc isn't that old. He could be there in four years and still be as good or better than ever."
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2002 Games Short Track Speed Skating Coverage
