VANCOUVER (Reuters) – Canada struck new gold in the hills and on the flats of its home ice on Saturday, mining more medals in snowboarding and speedskating to top the standings in the twilight of the 2010 Winter Games.

Just days after a public outcry over a lack of medals, the Olympic host nation boasted 12 golds halfway through the penultimate day of action before the closing ceremony on Sunday.

VANCOUVER, Feb 27 (Reuters) – Canada struck new gold in the
hills and on the flats of its home ice on Saturday, mining more
medals in snowboarding and speedskating to top the standings in
the twilight of the 2010 Winter Games.

Just days after a public outcry over a lack of medals, the
Olympic host nation boasted 12 golds halfway through the
penultimate day of action before the closing ceremony on Sunday.

VANCOUVER (Reuters) – Any city that puts red woolen Olympic mittens on statues of local heroes is likely to be a loving one.

Vancouver did not deceive on that front, giving athletes and visitors to the Winter Games a welcome as warm as a striped Hudson’s Bay blanket on a snowy night.

VANCOUVER, Feb 27 (Reuters) – Any city that puts red woollen
Olympic mittens on statues of local heroes is likely to be a
loving one.

Vancouver did not deceive on that front, giving athletes and
visitors to the Winter Games a welcome as warm as a striped
Hudson’s Bay blanket on a snowy night.

VANCOUVER (Reuters) – German skier Maria Riesch grabbed her second gold medal of the Winter Olympics in the slalom on Friday but her friend Lindsey Vonn went out with a whimper on snow that did not suit her.

The United States did, however, find the best of conditions on the ice hockey rink, where the men flattened Finland 6-1 to reach a final that may also include hosts Canada.

VANCOUVER, Feb 26 (Reuters) – German skier Maria Riesch
grabbed her second gold medal of the Winter Olympics in the
slalom on Friday but her friend Lindsey Vonn went out with a
whimper on snow that did not suit her.

The United States did, however, find the best of conditions
on the ice hockey rink, where the men flattened Finland 6-1 to
reach a final that may also include hosts Canada.

VANCOUVER (Reuters) – Norwegian cross country skier Marit Bjoergen became the first triple gold medalist of the Vancouver Olympics on Thursday, clinching her third success with a royal seal of approval.

German skier Viktoria Rebensburg, however, did not even have her parents on hand to see her surprising gold medal win in the women’s giant slalom. They flew home Wednesday after weather delayed the second leg of the Alpine race.

VANCOUVER, Feb 25 (Reuters) – Norwegian cross country skier
Marit Bjoergen became the first triple gold medallist of the
Vancouver Olympics on Thursday, clinching her third success with
a royal seal of approval.

German skier Viktoria Rebensburg, however, did not even have
her parents on hand to see her surprising gold medal win in the
women’s giant slalom. They flew home Wednesday after weather
delayed the second leg of the Alpine race.

VANCOUVER (Reuters) – Norwegian cross country skier Marit Bjoergen became the first athlete to garner three gold medals in these Winter Olympics with a flag-waving final burst in the women’s 4x5km relay on Thursday.

Day 13 of the Winter Games competition showed the two sides of the Olympic coin: the favorites like Bjoergen who win and the unknowns who serve the upsets, like the German skier who grabbed the women’s giant slalom gold.

VANCOUVER, Feb 25 (Reuters) – Norwegian cross country skier
Marit Bjoergen became the first athlete to garner three gold
medals in these Winter Olympics with a flag-waving final burst
in the women’s 4x5km relay on Thursday.

Day 13 of the Winter Games competition showed the two sides
of the Olympic coin: the favourites like Bjoergen who win and
the unknowns who serve the upsets, like the German skier who
grabbed the women’s giant slalom gold.