Canadian pride rides on the shoulders of the more than 4000 athletes who have competed in the Summer Games and won more than 240 medals: * In 1996, Donovan Bailey became the world's fastest man in a time of 9.84 seconds and also led Canada's 4 x 100 relay team to gold * Rower Silken Laumann came back from a training accident that resulted in a horrific leg injury to win bronze in 1992 and silver in 1996, bringing her lifetime Olympic medal total to three * At the age of 38, Lori-Ann Muenzer became the first Canadian cyclist to win a gold medal at the 2004 games in Athens * In 1932, Hilda Strike won silver in the 100-metre women's sprint, but 50 years later the results were challenged when the gender of the gold medalist came into doubt * In 1988, Ben Johnson won gold at the Seoul Olympics but was later stripped of his medal when he tested positive for steroids * Synchronized swimmer Sylvie Frechette overcame personal tragedy to win gold at the 1992 Olympics, but a judging controversy left her with silver until 16 months later * And more amazing and inspiring Canadian Olympic stories.

Arpon Basu had said since the age of eight that he would one day make the National Hockey League. Any chance of that happening, came to a crashing halt when, at 15 when he realized he was completely devoid of any talent. He earned a graduate journalism degree from Concordia University and went straight to a sports-writing job with the Canadian Press. The first time he walked into the Montréal Canadiens dressing room as a giddy cub reporter, Basu nearly fell over as it dawned on him that, despite his ineptitude on the ice, he had in fact been telling the truth as a dreamy-eyed eight-year-old.Basu covers sports for the Canadian Press in Montréal and writes a weekly sports column for the Montréal Gazette. He is also editor of Montréal’s South Shore, The St-Lambert Journal.

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