More Alberta Olympians return from Sochi in Calgary
Posted Feb 26, 2014 2:43 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
It was another homecoming for Canadian Olympians at the YYC Wednesday afternoon.
Six athletes landed in Calgary, including five cross-country skiers, as well as halfpipe skier Noah Bowman, who finished fifth in his discipline.
The 21-year-old said his first Olympic experience was amazing, but he’s not really thinking about the next edition in South Korea quite yet.
“It’s a ways away for me and I think I’m definitely going to try and pursue that next one, but right now, my competitions are mostly done for the year and I’m looking forward to some time to relax,” he said.
As for his fifth-place result in the event which debuted at the Sochi games, Bowman said there’s mixed feelings.
“Fifth in the world, that’s a great accomplishment, but obviously I would’ve rather been on the podium and joined Mike Riddle,” he said (Riddle won silver.) “If I had put down a better run, I feel like I could’ve got up on that podium, but I skied pretty well.”
Bowman’s parents were in Sochi during the games to watch their son and father Dan said he couldn’t be prouder.
“To see my son actually compete at that high level, to see him have a great experience was just tremendous, to see him ski for Canada was fantastic, he said.
The Calgarian gained attention during these games for overcoming a rare allergy to the cold during his late teens, continuing his career and eventually making the Olympics.
Also coming home among the cross-country ski team, Canmore’s Emily Nishikawa who said she’s glad to be back after representing her country for the first time.
“I felt so proud and honoured to be on the Canadian team, I had a couple of good races and some things to improve on for sure, so overall I’m really happy with my whole experience and really inspired,” she said.
Like other athletes, there isn’t much time to relax, as Nishikawa will be doing some training for the next two weeks at home before wrapping up her season at the national championships in Newfoundland.
She added the camaraderie was extra special because the ski team is made up of so many Albertans.
“We’ve known each other for years, some of my best friends were on the team so it was really incredible to share that experience with them,” she said.
