2010 Olympic Winter Games: Highlights from Week One

The games of the 21st Olympiad, haven't gone off without a hitch, but all things considered, VANOC and the athletes are putting on a great show. Here's a look back at some of the highlights from week one!

Behind the Scenes:
The opening ceremony at BC Place wowed those in attendance as well as the over 67 million viewers who watched it on television. Sure there were some technical problems, but it was the most watched opening ceremony for a non-US Olympic games and was the most watched event ever in Canada.

Weather problems up on Cypress Mountain continues to be one of the main stories of these Olympics. Events have been delayed, tickets have been cancelled and with all the sun the city is receiving, it looks like Mother Nature won’t be helping us out anytime soon. On a positive note, Whistler has been everything VANOC hoped it would be: More than enough snow, great atmosphere, exciting events and a whole lot of partying!

The Events:
Speed Skating has been dominated by the South Koreans with Canadians Jeremy Wotherspoon and Charles Hamelin turning in disappointing performances in the 500 and 1500 metre events respectively. But look out for Hamelin who is looking to make some noise in the 1000m event.

Jennifer Heil competed in the women’s moguls for freestyle skiing and was just beat out by American Hannah Kearney. Nevertheless, Jennifer earned the silver and thefirst medal for Canada in these 2010 games.

Alex Bilodeau broke the gold medal drought for Canada, as he took first place in the men’s moguls for free style skiing. Not only was it the first gold medal for Canada, but also the very first to be won on home soil! His achievement was so great that he instantly became ranked #2 on the trending topics on Twitter.

Mike Robertson won silver in the Men’s snowboard cross. Four years ago he was watching the Canadian team in Turin and decided he also wanted take part in it. As a new addition and youngest member on the team, Robertson did Canada proud.

China has stolen the show in figure skating so far taking the gold and silver in the pairs event and also made some noise with a gold medal in short track speed skating.

Maëlle Ricker, a North Vancouver native, brought in another gold for Canada in the women’s snowboard cross. In the Turin games, four years ago, she suffered a concussion and was helicoptered out, but definitely redeemed herself and made the most of her second chance at Olympic glory!

Talk about a birthday celebration! On her 20th birthday Canada’s Marianne St. Gelais wins the silver medal in 500m short track speed skating. Happy birthday indeed!

As expected star Alpine skier Lindsey Vonn, crowd favourite Anton Apolo Ohno and snowboard halfpipe king, Shaun White, are three of the five american athletes that have won gold medals.

Current Medal Standings:

Looking Ahead:
Canada’s men’s hockey team had a strong first game beating Norway 8-0, but Russia, Slovakia and the Czechs all displayed amazing skills on the ice and are definitely teams to keep an eye on as the tournament goes on.

Figure Skater Patrick Chan of Canada struggled in short program, which was quite the opposite for ice veteran Evgeni Plushenko who pulled off the quad and finds himself leading the way after the short program. World champion Evan Lysacek from the USA isn’t far behind making the men’s free skate a must-see event! The free skate will begin at 5pm tonight.

The final for the Men’s 5000m relay for speed skating is set for February 26th and so far it looks like South Korea and USA are the teams to beat.