Canada welcoming home Olympians
Virtue and Moir among those returning with gold from South Korea
Hundreds of fans filled up the tiny arrival section of the airport in London, Ont., singing the national anthem and waving Canadian flags to welcome ice dancers Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir.
The pair signed flags, signs and Tim Hortons cups in what will be their last Olympic homecoming, as they retire from professional ice dancing after winning two sets of gold medals at the Pyeongchang Games.
Their first-place wins in ice dancing and team figure skating in South Korea brought their total Olympic medal count to five, making them the most decorated figure skaters in the history of the Games.
Cheering crowds also greeted Canada’s athletes in Vancouver, where fellow gold medallists Cassie Sharpe and Patrick Chan returned Monday.
Athletes received a boisterous welcome in Montreal, where more than 100 people greeted returning athletes with hollers, horns and cheers at Pierre Trudeau International Airport.
In London, Moir and Virtue were shocked by the number of people who came out to meet them.
“We’re tired but this is so exciting for us, we’ve been thinking about this moment being back home since we won the gold medal,” said Moir, who is from nearby Ilderton, Ont. “It’s been unbelievable, we haven’t come down from Cloud 9.”
Moir said representing Canada had only gotten more special in his third Olympics with Virtue.
“None of the magic had worn off,” said Moir, who was Canada’s flag bearer at the opening ceremony, along with Virtue. “If anything, you feel more patriotic and we understand more what it means to represent Canada and wear the flag on our back.”
“It’s special and sentimental because it’s been 20 years in the making and it’s the culmination of it all competitively,” added Virtue. “It couldn’t have gone any better for us.”
Asked when they think they’ll come down from the high of winning, Virtue replied: “do we have to?”
The duo has been melting hearts since they claimed gold at the 2010 Vancouver Games, but this year they garnered a whole new group of fans who swooned over their chemistry on the ice. Some have suggested they might be in a romantic relationship — a rumour the athletes have been denying for years.
In Vancouver, Chan said it was just beginning to sink in that he’d won gold in the team skating event.
“It’s a nice feeling,” the Toronto skater said with a grin, adding that he plans to leave it in his suitcase for a little while.
“I’ll take a look at it every once in a while. It’s sometimes better to keep it away and then just enjoy it once in a while.”
Chan, 27, will also retire from competition, although he said he would continue to be involved in skating and perform at shows. He also hopes to eventually open his own skating school that will bring together Vancouver-area coaches and athletes.
“It’s a new beginning and a rebirth,” said Chan, who recently relocated to B.C.