In a Klass-en all her own

Coming in as the world record holder and favourite, I have to admit that I had high hopes for Cindy Klassen. So doesn't it speak volumes of my hopes for Canada when I see her bronze medal as a bit of a disappointment?

Let me clarify. Oh my God, an Olympic medal is a huge achievement. But such is the level of expectations that people have for Canada's team at these Games -- and for Cindy herself -- that I was confident that she would bring home a gold. Still, she's got her second Oly medal (after a bronze in the very same same event four years ago) and is still looking for more.

Canada had all three of its skaters in the top 9, with Kristina Groves 8th and my sporting heroine Clara Hughes 9th. I checked out Clara's split times and noticed how slowly she started, but how much ground she made up in her last couple of laps. Typical of Clara, a slow starter. But it bodes well for her pet event, the 5000m. Fingers crossed...

Congrats to Cindy. She's in a Klass all her own.