The Canadian Olympic officially named two time Olympic medalist Judoka Nicholas Gill as Canada’s flag bearer for the Olympic Games held in Athens this August.
The official ceremony took place in Toronto at the Hellenic Cultural Centre in Toronto. Chef de Mission David Bedford and Assistant Chef de Mission Nathalie Lambert, plus several Canadian athletes for the official team formally made the announcement in Ontario’s capital
Gill currently in Belgium stated “I am extremely proud to have been chosen to carry the flag and lead Canada’s Olympic team and this is truly a special honor. I look forward to representing my country as flag bearer and competitor.”
Gill, is a native of Montreal and sixth-degree black belt, is heading to his fourth Olympic Games. He recently incurred a knee injury during an invitational meet in Moscow in November. Rehab is doing fine and there appears to be no problems with the knee and how it is healing.Gill’s career includes 10 national championships, a bronze at the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona and a silver in Sydney.
So given the hype of the official flag bearer how will Gill cope with the extra pressure? One would assume the word of the day for Gill is “focus” and if his coaching staff is all it is made up of – he will return with another medal to add to his collection.Nice touch by the Canadian committee.
Congratulations!