Now because I received so many, it has been tough to pick the best entries, I had to pick a max of 13. So without further delay, here they are:

Canadians should be proud...

My favourite Olympic moment has nothing to do with gold medals or world records. My moment focuses on the performance of a Canadian athlete – an intelligent, well-spoken professional who placed second in his final event in Beijing. Touted as one of Canada's top medal hopes and privileged with carrying the Canadian flag at the opening ceremonies, van Koeverden knew all Canadian eyes were on him to win. So, after placing eighth in the K-1 1000m final, van Koeverden actually apologized to Canada for his unexpected, troubling finish. His candor and honesty were heart-warming and I wanted more than ever for van Koeverden to win a medal the next day – not to add to

Canada's tally – but to add to his accomplishments. In the K-1 500m, he started with a vengeance, racing against the best male athletes in his sport. At the finish line, he was awarded a silver medal, beating out his British competitor in a photo-finish. In his post-race interview, I couldn't help but be moved by how humble and sincere he seemed; I admired him as a person and as an athlete. After an uncharacteristic eighth-place finish in his first event, van Koeverden had the self-confidence and determination he needed to win a medal the very next day – all the time knowing Canadians were watching his every move.

Way to go Adam!

-Patricia

Matthias Steiner

That's easy. I was watching the CBC and they covered the finals of the superheavyweight weightlifting competition. I don't remember the mens' names, but there was a Russian man and a German man who were competing for the gold medal. I really thought that the Russian guy was going to win, because the German man was having trouble with his final lifts. The announcer explained that the German guy had been through a difficult year because his wife had died a few months ago in a car accident. He had promised her that he would get his German citizenship and win a gold medal at the Olympics. With his final lift, he succeeded. At the medal ceremony, the man accepted his gold medal and raised it and a photo of his late wife in the air. At that point I was crying like a baby. The man's love for his wife was so poignant, it almost overshadowed his victory.

-Nancy

I really thought the most incredible moment was with the heavyweight weightlifter who promised his fiancé on her deathbed that he would win her the gold. (He made true of his promise !) I am not sure which country he was from but to see him with the picture of his fiancé on the medal podium was really quite emotional for us. It was truly a magical moment where the love of his girl made him surpass anything he has done in the past.

Regards

-Tom

Ed note: The following people also picked Matthias Steiner as their favourite moment: Michael and Don.

Ian Millar

Not because so much of his marvellous, "step up to the plate"

anchor ride , in the team finals to get Canada within striking distance of the gold , but it was when , just after he acknowledged the crowd, put his helmet back on and dropped his head and went to a very private place within himself, to convey a silent moment with his "angel", that rode with him . For that very brief moment the camera was on "Captain Canada's" face, I totally forgot the Olympic effort it took to get the team to that level, the excitement and beauty of equestrian sports, I could only think of the how much our love ones play such a huge part in everything we try to achieve in life. Funny how a sporting event can affect one like that, but with so many awesome Olympic stories, it was Ian's moment that stood out for me.

-LS

Ed note: The following people also picked Ian Millar (the team Equestrian) as their favourite moment: Mary, Judy, Karen, Sylvie, Judy and Mich.

Men's 8 Rowing Team

My family and I attended the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing as spectators. My dad owns several factories in China, and was given tickets to a few events of our choosing by the local government. Being a family of former rowers we naturally picked two days of rowing finals. We were able to witness Canada's first medal of the Olympics, but nothing compared to the gold medal win in the men's 8. We were seated in section 107, which was the first section before the 1500 mark - the home stretch in rowing. Due to the distance of the Olympics and probably also the fact that our tickets were from the Chinese government, we were surrounded entirely by Chinese supporters. The Chinese had a cheer throughout the Olympics in which they repeated the mandarin word for "fight", and with the power of numbers they were effectively able to drown out the cheers of any competing country who should come up against them. This is quite a feat considering I was once described at a sporting event as having a yelling voice that was "sure to make any future husband of mine miserable." Therefore in the final for the men's 8, we were greedily and perhaps un-Olympic ally happy to see there were no Chinese boats in, arguably, the most important race of the day - the men's 8 final. Maybe we could get our cheers across now. As the race started and we became more excited about the persistent lead of the Canadians, the Chinese around us began to take note. Some of them started taking pictures and laughing, but by the time the men's 8 hit the 1500 mark, we had somehow managed to get our entire section to back us up in our cheering. The powerful Chinese "gi-yuo" had become "Can-Na-Da". It was one of the most amazing experiences of my life to not only be able to cheer my country to their gold medal win, but to do it with the assistance of the host country, who seemed in genuine support of our success. They even stayed to with us for the medal ceremony and Canadian anthem though most other stands had cleared out by then. I will never forget that moment of true Olympic spirit, of Canadian gold, and the hospitality of the Chinese people.

-Martha Kroeker

My favourite Olympic moment was when the men's 8 rowing won the gold medal. It wasn't exactly the win that excited me so much. Don't get me wrong, I was happy that they had won, but the best part was when the team started singing O Canada during the medal ceremony. They were singing so loud that you could hear them over the music and all of the buzz around them. In that moment, they exemplified what being a Canadian is all about for me. Nothing says I AM CANADIAN more than singing our anthem loud and proud for the entire world to see, eh?

-Crystal

Ed note: The following people also picked Men's 8 Rowing as their favourite moment: Denise.

Eric Lamaze

Hands down Eric Lamaze and Hickstead winning the gold medal. There is no better way to come back from disgrace and rock bottom than this. He did it with talent, style, grace and a fabulous horse - who at one point was also an underdog, having been thought too small for the sport. It shows that determination and a second - OK,

third- chance, coupled with unwavering support from friends and colleagues, can make a huge difference in a person's life.

Way to go Eric!

Sincerely,

-Diane