14

Well there's HUGE news coming out of the Canadian Olympic Committee camp today. With just 15 days to go until the Opening ceremonies the announcement has been made: Simon Whitfield has been named the flag bearer for the opening ceremonies. A great selection in a field of amazing athletes. He's a personal inspiration so I am very very happy for him! Article: http://www.cbc.ca/olympics/story/2012/07/12/sp-olympics-flag-bearer-canada.html

Milos Raonic is a tennis player representing Canada at the Olympic games. He's only 21 and is ranked 21st in the world. This is the top ranking of any Canadian single male. Ever.

Milos is known for his powerful and accurate serve.He was considered a Dark Horse this year at Wimbeldon, where last year he injured himself and required surgery. The tennis world was abuzz about him. A positive sign heading into what will be his first Olympic appearance.
He moved to Canada from Montenegro at the age of 3. He's also passionate about sport and country, just as an Olympian should be: "In an interview after his third round win at the 2011 Australian Open it was questioned if he would follow in the footsteps of Greg Rusedski, the last great Canadian tennis player who ended up playing for his second nationality in Great Britain. When asked if he would continue to play for Canada he replied "Yes". Raonic has shown a passion for Canada and the game of tennis in the country. This was displayed in an October, 2010 interview where he said of the matter that "I want to make a singles career, I enjoy it more and I want to make a difference in Canada with it. I feel if I were to achieve my goals it could make a great difference to the growth of tennis in Canada and help to produce more top players in the future" (Wikipedia). You can follow him on Twitter: @milosraonic and his website is: milosraonic.ca/blog/

Victoria Nolan is a paralympic rower. She's nicknamed the metronome for her ability to synchronize with her other rowers. She was diagnosed with an eye disease at 18 and lost all but 3% of her vision after the birth of her 2nd child. In order to overcome depression she began adaptive rowing. She trains 6 days a week listening to the seats of her teammates in order to time her strokes. She's also an activist , challenging and informing people of guide dog bylaws and ability. Victoria is also a teacher who is constantly on the go and fits work outs into her lunch breaks. Amazing.

16

Simon Whitfield is one of my favourite athletes. I distinctly remember him winning that gold medal when triathlon became an Olympic event and marvelling at the man's athletic ability. He won this event regardless of the fact that he was in a crash during the race. This will be his fourth trip to the games having added a silver to his total in Beijing. This time around he had a specific training schedule so that he peaks during the Games. “My goal was always to be the best in the world at something,” says Whitfield (simonwhitfield.com). It's so amazing to be that he accomplished that. Recently, he's worried his supporters because he withdrew from the Edmonton World cup event due to a hamstring injury. He reports that it was merely a precaution. Better safe than sorry, I guess, this close to the Big Show. Here's a great article about his silver medal win: http://www.nationalpost.com/sports/beijing-games/story.html?id=734442 His website is simonwhitfield.com  and Twitter handle @simonwhitfield.

Nikkita Holder is going to represent Canada doing the 100m hurdles at The Games. This 25 year old woman is currently ranked 8th in the world. She's heading to London with her fiance, Justyn Warner, who's also been named to the team.