茄子直播

(photo by Charlie Booker courtesy of Bobsleigh CANADA Skeleton)

Olympian Heather Moyse wins gold in Sochi

University of Toronto alumna Heather Moyse is bringing home another Olympic gold medal after hurtling to victory on the bobsleigh track yesterday with partner Kaillie Humphries at Sochi.

The repeat Olympic champions won by a tenth of a second  -- a close finish that had Moyse and Humphries watching the final race by their U.S. rivals on a monitor, erupting into screams and cheers when it was clear the Americans had lost.

"On behalf of the entire 茄子直播 community, including our worldwide community of alumni, I congratulate alumna Heather Moyse and her teammate Kaillie Humphries on their Olympic gold medal win," said 茄子直播 president Meric Gertler. "We are simply elated and bursting with pride!"

Moyse, who graduated with a Master of Science degree in Occupational Therapy from 茄子直播 in 2007, from the Department of Occupational Science & Occupational Therapy, also won gold with driver Humphries at the Vancouver Games in 2010. But at Sochi the pair trailed the U.S. team going into their final run. Moyse assured Humphries that it was possible to close the gap, and they were determined to do just that.

鈥淚 just looked at her and said 鈥榠t鈥檚 possible鈥 鈥 and that鈥檚 all Kaillie needed to know,鈥 Moyse told The Globe and Mail after the race. 鈥淭hat the gap wasn鈥檛 closed, but it was possible.鈥

Bobsleigh was not Moyse's first love as an athlete. After the 2010 Olympics  about why she didn't take up bobsleigh until she was 27.

"I wasn鈥檛 attracted to it at all鈥. Bobsleigh Canada actually asked me when I was 22 and my first thought was, 鈥楴o way am I wearing a uniform that is head-to-toe spandex'," Moyse told the Magazine. "But growing up for me, rugby was the cool thing to do. In PEI, rugby鈥檚 huge."

A Right to Play athlete ambassador, Moyse represented Canada on the National Senior Women鈥檚 Rugby team in 22 international rugby games, and was the leading try-scorer in both the 2006 and 2010 Women鈥檚 Rugby World Cups. She also represented Canada in the Pan American Cycling Championships in Argentina in March 2012, making track cycling her third national sport for Canada. 

鈥淗eather was one of the most well-rounded students to ever come through our program,鈥 said Associate Professor Alex Mihailidis, acting chair of the Department. 鈥淪he was a very bright student, graduated in the top of her class, and she was also a very kind, outgoing and involved student.

"She鈥檚 always excelled at everything she鈥檚 done and we鈥檙e very proud of her.鈥

Jane Davis was Moyse鈥檚 research project co-supervisor, in the days when the high performance athlete would show up at the lab with a large bag of fuzzy peaches. She remembers the apologetic email Moyse sent back in the 2005-2006 school year when bobsleigh tryouts and training for the 2006 Olympics temporarily took her out of the program 鈥 and the way that Moyse continued to volunteer in the lab whenever she could fit it in around her training.

Davis points out that Moyse has had to deal with an ankle injury and hip surgery in recent years, using physical therapy to battle back.

That determination and positive spirit are two of Moyse鈥檚 defining characteristics, she said.

鈥淲hen Heather taking a bath in a garbage bin, to us, that was a real occupational therapist moment,鈥 said Davis. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 what OTs do 鈥 determine what needs to be done and figure out a way to do it.鈥

Moyse had retired from bobsleigh after Vancouver but returned on the World Cup circuit in 2013-2014 which led to her being named to the Olympic team in Sochi.
 
And, in the aftermath of the dramatic win by Humphries and Moyse, social media lit up with congratulations for the team.

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