The Winter Olympics in Sochi are just a few days away, which means it is time to brush up on our Team Canada knowledge. This year we have a strong line up of female athletes who are ready to take home the gold.
Meet five women below who have a great chance at success during the games:
1. Maelle Ricker
Sport: Snowboard Cross
See her: February 16
Tweet her good luck: @maellericker
You should remember Maelle from the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver: she put herself in the history books as the first female Canadian athlete to ever win a gold medal on home soil. Those weren’t her first games, though. Maelle had previously competed at two other winter Olympics, which makes Sochi this 35-year-old Vancouver native’s fourth Olympic games. Last year, she was at the top of the podium at the World Championships, and we’ll be cheering to see her in the same spot again. Plus, snowboard cross is a crazy sport where almost anything can happen!
2. Alex Gough
Sport: Luge
See her: February 10, 11 and 13
Tweet her good luck: @AlexGoughLuge
Two years ago, Alex Gough became the first Canadian woman to ever win a World Cup luge race. Her successes don’t end there: she also won bronze at the world championships that year and she has been ranked among the top five female lugers worldwide for the past three seasons. She may have come 18th in Vancouver, but don’t expect a repeat of that in Sochi. This time, Gough will be on the podium. She’s a strong contender in both women’s singles and the team relay, so watch out.
3. Caroline Ouellette
Sport: Hockey
See her: Canada plays its first game versus Finland on February 10
Tweet her good luck: @couellette13
Montreal native Caroline Ouellette will head up the 2014 women’s hockey team. She’s been around for a long time (she is third in all-time games played with the maple leaf on her jersey, after only Jayna Hefford and Hayley Wickenheiser) but she may have been a bit overshadowed by the great Wickenheiser. This year, though, Ouellette (already a three-time Olympic champion and six-time world chamption) gets to shine as she attempts to take the women’s hockey team back to the top of the podium.
4. Kaillie Humphries and Heather Moyse
Sport: Bobsleigh
See them: February 18 and 19
Tweet them good luck: @BobsledKaillie and @HeatherMoyse
This dynamic duo won gold in Vancouver 2010 and they’re coming back to defend their title in Sochi. They were the first Canadian women to win bobsleigh gold and they’d like to double up on those gold medals. They’re almost from opposite sides of the country (Moyse from PEI and Humphries from Calgary) but they share a similar passion and drive. Both are amazing athletes (Moyse has also represented Canada internationally in rugby and cycling) and really tough cookies. We can’t wait to see them defeat the competition once again.
5. Jennifer Jones
Sport: Curling
See her: Canada’s first round-robin match is February 10. Curling continues until the gold-medal match on February 20.
Tweet her good luck: @TeamJJonesCurl
Jennifer Jones has an impressive list of wins under her belt (including four Canadian championships and one world championship) but Sochi will be her first Olympic games. As skip of the Canadian women’s curling team, she plays a taxing mental sport, but we know she’s up for the challenge. This Winnipeg native has been one of the top female curlers in the country for over a decade. She deserves her shot at Olympic gold.
There are so many other fabulous Canadian athletes competing in Sochi 2014. Cheer them all on from February 7th through 23rd.
