Vancouver inspires Canada's London hopefuls

Updated: 2012-02-15 11:20

(Agencies)

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TORONTO - Inspired by their chill-boned winter colleagues, Canada's Summer Olympic hopefuls are hoping to transfer the country's success from Vancouver to this year's London Games.

Canada won 14 gold medals at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, a record for any country at a single Winter Games, surpassing the previous mark of 13, jointly held by Norway and the former Soviet Union.

Canadian rower Tracy Cameron, a bronze medalist in double sculls at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, was in Vancouver as a spectator and said the experience had motivated her for London.

"It was an energy that I can't describe," she told reporters at a Canadian Olympic media summit.

"You felt it, it was palpable and I really believe that that energy has carried over with us as the athletes."

While Canada's athletes know they will not have the advantage of competing in front of their home fans in London, other athletes also believe that support will carry over to the English capital.

"One of the great things that (Vancouver has) done is it's really gotten the Canadian public behind Olympians," said hurdler Perdita Felicien.

"Having a home games in Vancouver was just a great thing in the sense that people kind've got it for the first time, and so hopefully as summer athletes we can capitalise on a lot of that momentum and that excitement and that pride."

Diver Alexandre Despatie, a silver medalist in the 3-meter springboard at the last two Summer Olympics, took a break in his training to attend the Vancouver Games as a broadcaster and also left inspired by what he saw.

"The drive and the energy and the motivation that I got from Vancouver really affected my training, my season and I am going to carry that on to London," he said.

"We don't want to taper down the expectations, but at the same time we know what we are heading into ... and the athletes are very aware that we are a winter nation and the objectives are different for the summer Olympics."

At the last Summer Olympics in Beijing, Canada won a total of 18 medals, including three golds, and Despatie was confident they can do even better this time.

"I believe it's very realistic," he said. "We have a very strong team, lots of veterans, lots of people that have been there before that know how to perform when it's time to and lots of rookies to that are already established athletes."

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