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PyeongChang 2018: Getting to know Canada’s Olympic medal contenders

WATCH: Long track speed skater Denny Morrison's road to a 4th Olympic Games was a rocky one. He was involved in a near fatal motorcycle crash in 2015, then suffered a stroke just less than a year later. Morrison knows those obstacles will make these Olympics extra special. – Feb 6, 2018

The 2018 Winter Olympic Games have finally arrived.

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Canada is sending its largest contingent of athletes ever to a Winter Olympic Games, with 225 in attendance.

The hope is this group of Olympians will also produce the biggest medal haul this country has ever had at a Winter Games.

The previous best was Vancouver 2010, when Canada finished with 26 medals, 14 of them gold.

Global News sat down with several of Canada’s top athletes and medal contenders to discuss their goals, dreams and what fuels their quest for Olympic glory in PyeongChang.

Scroll through to watch the videos below

Watch below: Charles Hamelin is already one of Canada’s most decorated winter Olympians with three gold medals and a silver medal to his name. But Hamelin is hoping to do something no one in his sport has done: win a medal at the age of 33.

Watch below: Luge athlete Sam Edney enters his 4th and final Olympic Games with unfinished business. He and his Canadian teammates finished 4th in the team relay event in Sochi and have been fueled by the near miss ever since.

Watch below: Skiing sisters Justine and Chloe Dufour-Lapointe shared a magical moment at the Sochi Games, winning gold and silver respectively in women’s moguls. They’d love to have a similar encore in South Korea.

Watch below: Pairs skaters Meghan Duhamel and Eric Radford were part of Canada’s silver-medal-winning team in Sochi in the inaugural Olympic figure skating team event. The two-time world champs feel this is the strongest team Canada has ever sent to the Olympics.

Watch below: Canadian alpine skier Manuel Osborne-Paradis has won World Cup titles and World Championship medals, but the one thing missing from his resume is an Olympic medal. He’ll pursue that in PyeongChang, his 4th Olympic Games.

Watch below: Calgary native Chris Robanske grew up on the slopes at Canada Olympic Park. The snowboard cross racer says the commitment from his parents is the biggest reason he’s an Olympian.

Watch below: Patrick Chan is one of Canada’s most accomplished male figure skaters and PyeongChang will be his last Olympic quest. No matter the final result, Chan is proud of the mark he’s left on his sport, but still hopes to finish his career with a medal.

Watch below: Long tracker Heather McLean grew up skating on the outdoor ice in her hometown of Winnipeg, inspired by Olympians before her, such as Cindy Klassen and Shannon Rempel. Now achieving her lifetime dream, she hopes to provide that same spark for the next generation of skaters.

Watch below: Justin Kripps is coming off the most successful World Cup season of his career, winning the overall Crystal Globe title. Kripps will pilot one of three men’s sleds at his 3rd Olympic Games and knows he has to flirt with failure for the ultimate glory.

Watch below: Short track speed skater Marianne St-Gelais has experienced both sides of the Olympic Games: from unexpected euphoria in Vancouver to disappointment in Sochi. She plans to draw on all that experience in South Korea.

Watch below: Olympic gold medallists Scott Moir and Tessa Virtue thought they were done after the Sochi Olympics, but they returned two years ago, inspired and reinvigorated for one more push. They’ll carry the Canadian flag into opening ceremonies in their Olympic finale.

Watch below: Figure skater Gabrielle Daleman had her sights set on wearing the red and white at the Olympic Games from the age of 8. She accomplished that in 2014. Now 20, Daleman hopes to add the next step: an Olympic medal.

Watch below: Kaetlyn Osmond was soaking in every moment of her first Olympics in Sochi 2014. Now, the 22-year-old figure skater is bringing experience and expectation with her to PyeongChang.

Watch below: Kaillie Humphries was the first woman to pilot back-to-back gold medal winning sleds in bobsleigh. The Calgary native is fully aware of the responsibility that comes with being the face of bobsleigh and hopes her role growing the sport is part of the legacy she leaves.

Watch: Calgary native Brady Leman has already experienced some of the most difficult lows an athlete can face at the Olympic Games. Entering PyeongChang, the ski cross specialist plans to lay it all out for a medal.

Watch below: Ski cross racer Kelsey Serwa shared the podium with her teammate Marielle Thompson in Sochi, winning silver. She would love nothing more than to return to the podium in South Korea, this time one step higher.

Watch below: Big air snowboarding is one of the debut sports in South Korea and Max Parrot is one of the best in the world at it. Parrot is headed to his 2nd Olympic Games and this time hopes to return with a medal.

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