Watch the above video: The golden highs, the silver streaks and the poignant moments of Canadian athletes in Sochi.
Canada’s Olympic objective was to win more medals than any other country in Sochi.
Although it fell short of the goal, Canada finished strong in fourth place in the overall medal standings with 10 gold, 10 silver and five bronze for a total 25 medals. Host Russia won the overall medal count with 33 and 13 gold.
Despite a controversial lead-up to Sochi, it was one of the most successful Games for Canada ever.
Here is a look back at some of the memorable Canadian moments of the 2014 Winter Olympics.
The golden sister act
After a gutsy performance by snowboarder Mark McMorris, who opened Canada’s medal count with a bronze in men’s snowboard cross, two sisters from Quebec won gold and silver in women’s moguls.
Justine Dufour-Lapointe won Canada’s first gold while her sister Chole finished in second.
In front of adoring fans and the tearful eyes of their parents, the Dufour-Lapointe sisters held hands as they took their spots on the podium.
Ups and downs for Charles Hamelin on the speed skating track
Charles Hamelin had a strong start to the Games winning gold in the men’s 1500m speed skating event.
Immediately after winning he jumped over the rink barrier to kiss his girlfriend and teammate Marianne St-Gelais. St-Gelais would also win a silver medal in the women’s 3000-metre short-track relay.
WATCH: Hamelin discusses winning gold, Team Canada pride, and kissing his girlfriend after the race
Disappointment quickly followed for the Quebec speed skater as Hamelin crashed twice in the qualifying round of the 500-metre short-track event and then again in the 1,000-metre.
Silver performances in figure skating
Canada took home three silver medals in figure skating competitions.
The figure skating team won silver at the first-ever Olympic team event finishing behind the Russians.
Later Patrick Chan won silver in the men’s individual event, behind his rival Yuzuru Hanyu of Japan who took the gold.
Although Chan failed to capture the gold, something that’s eluded former men’s skaters like Elvis Stojko and Kurt Browning, Chan made no apologies for the silver, reminding his critics he’s the only male Canadian skater to leave the Olympics with two medals.
WATCH: Patrick Chan responds to critics after second place finish
Canada’s ice dancers Scott Moir and Tessa Virtue, who captured gold in Vancouver, settled for silver behind the Americans. The Canadian pair faced an earlier controversy in the team event after a report in a French magazine alleged Russian and American judges swapped votes to keep the Canadians off the top of the podium.
WATCH: Tessa Virture and Scott Moir skate a beautiful performance and take home a silver. Eric Sorensen reports.
Alex Bilodeau celebrates with his brother
Olympic Champion Alexandre Bilodeau defended his gold medal in men’s moguls at Sochi, finishing just ahead of teammate Mikael Kingsbury who won the silver and Marc-Antoine Gagnon of Terrebonne, QC who finished fourth.
Bioldeau celebrated his gold medal performance the same way he did four years ago in Vancouver, embracing his brother Fredric who has cerebral palsy.
Bioldeau dedicated his medal to Fredric calling him his hero and biggest inspiration.
WATCH: Alex Bilodeau shares medal with his brother Frederic
“I have a family, a great girlfriend, a team of trainers, but the person who motivates me to go through the highs and lows is my brother,” said Bilodeau.
Humphries and Moyse, Canadian flag-bearers
It came down to the final run but Canada’s Kaillie Humphries and Heather Moyse defended their gold medal in women’s bobsled, beating the Americans by 0.12 seconds.
Humphries and Moyse also shared the honour of carrying the flag for Canada during the closing ceremonies in Russia.
A look back at Canadian closing ceremony flag-bearers
“The fight that Kaillie and I demonstrated here reflects the fight of all of our Canadian athletes. We are strong. We are winter. We have the strength of a nation behind us. We were raised on ice and in snow,” said Moyse during a press conference.
Sarah Burke honoured
Canada’s Dara Howell and Kim Lamarre made history after capturing the gold and bronze in the Olympic debut of women’s ski slopestyle.
WATCH: Gold medallist Dara Howell dedicate her win to Sarah Burke
READ MORE: Heartbreak for Montreal’s Kaya Turski in ski slopestyle
Howell dedicated her gold medal to Canadian Sarah Burke, who was considered a pioneer in the sport and helped bring the event to the Olympics. Burke died in a training accident in January 2012.
Team Canada is golden in men’s and women’s hockey
The women got the puck rolling for the Canadians, pulling off a 3-2 win in overtime against the U.S., in perhaps the biggest nail-biter of the Games.
Canada’s golden girl Marie-Philip Poulin scored in the third period and again in overtime to help Canada defeat the Americans.
WATCH: The Canadian women’s hockey team pulled off a win over Team USA. Eric Sorensen reports.
The men’s teamed capped off the Olympics with a 3-0 win against Sweden. Canadians woke up early to catch the game, flocking to bars that extended their hours so hockey fans could get a beer to watch the finals.
Carey Price and the defensive core led the way providing much of the scoring for Team Canada while only allowing three goals in six games during Olympic action.
…And on the curling rink
For Jennifer Jones and Canada’s women’s curling team it was a clean sheet at the Olympics. With a ruthlessly efficient performance, Jones led the women’s team to a perfect record.
On the men’s side, Ontario’s Brad Jacobs led the men to a gold medal against Great Britain. The final wasn’t even close as Canada dominated, beating Great Britain 9-3. The Brits conceded in the 8th end.
Gilmore Junio makes a hand-off to Denny Morrison
Although he didn’t win a medal, speeskater Gilmore Junio became a fan favourite of the Games after his selfless act helped a teammate win a medal.
Junio gave up his spot in the men’s 1000-metre event to Denny Morrison who would go on to win a silver medal in the competition.
Junio said he made the decision because it would improve Canada’s medal chances.
“To represent Canada at the Olympics is a huge honour and privilege but I believe that as Canadians, we’re not just here to compete; we are here to win. Denny has proven to be a consistent medal threat in the distance,” said Junio in a press release.
Canada’s cross country coach embodies the Olympic spirit
Canadian cross-country coach Justin Wadsworth showed the world the true Olympic spirit of the Games after he rushed to help a Russian skier cross the finish line.
Skier Anton Gafarov fell down a hill on the course, broke his ski and was struggling to finish, when Wadsworth jumped off the sidelines and attached a new ski to the Russian’s boot.
WATCH: Justin Wadsworth discusses his act of sportsmanship and the good karma he hopes will rub off for Team Canada
Video of Wadsworth’s act of kindness quickly spread, with many people around the world praising his sportsmanship.
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