Riverview native celebrates winning bronze medal for U.S.By Jon MacNeill / March 1st, 2010 / Telegraph Journal
Travis Jayner, a Riverview native who makes his home in Michigan, celebrates a bronze medal finish in the men's 5,000-metre short track relay finals at the Pacific Coliseum on Friday during the Vancouver Olympic Games. Photo Credit: Canadian PressTwenty-four hours after the biggest race of his life, after a chaotic stretch of press conferences and interviews, Travis Jayner finally took a moment to pause and reflect.
"I'm looking at the medal now, and it still doesn't seem real," Jayner said from his room in the athletes' village on the south-east side of Vancouver.
"The five-(kilometre) is the longest race you do in short-track and to me, it seemed like it was the fastest race the other night."
But not so fast that it won't be forever etched in the 27-year-old Riverview native's mind - the night he won a bronze medal in his Olympic debut.
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Jayner and United States teammates Apolo Anton Ohno, J.R. Celski and Jordan Malone captured bronze in the men's 5,000-metre short-track relay Friday night at the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver.
Team Canada's foursome - featuring Guillaume Bastille who's coached by Fredericton's Stephen Gough - won gold and Korea took silver.
"This is the pinnacle of my sport - the Winter Olympics - this is as big as short-track gets and the greatest short-track race is the team race," Jayner said. "To be in that venue, in the Pacific Coliseum in Vancouver, it was just amazing."
Jayner grew up in Riverview and represented the province at a number of national events. His parents, Jack and Carolyn Jayner, were born in New York and he has dual citizenship. He made the U.S. national team in 2005 and qualified to represent that country at the Olympics last fall.
The Americans started the relay in the fourth position where they had to fend off an aggressive French squad while trying to advance.
"With three Olympic rookies (on the team), I think we were really calm and collected in that position. It's not ideal to be just outside the medals most of the race and I think a lot of teams would have panicked and scrambled."
With a five-member U.S. team, it wasn't certain Jayner would participate in the relay race. And after a marker mishap took him out of the running in his only individual event - the 1,000-metre on Feb. 17 - he had to overcome the mental anguish of losing a race he dominated until the final turn.
"I'm really proud that the team and staff trusted me to do both the (relay) semifinal and the final. As an athlete, I think you're most nervous of not doing your best when it counts, but I know that I did my best and I think I gave my team the best chance to win."
A bit disappointed to finish third - though only two-tenths of a second behind the winners - Jayner admitted it was special to hear the anthem of the nation where he grew up while standing on the podium.
"Obviously it wasn't my first choice for results, but if I could have heard another anthem play, especially in that building and during these Olympics, (the Canadian anthem) was the one to hear," he said.
Jayner's parents were both present Friday night to see the race and watch their son take his place on the podium.
"It was thrilling," Carolyn Jayner said shortly after returning to their home in Riverview Sunday afternoon. "With five teams in the final it was an especially challenging race and (Travis) rose to the occasion."
Athletes are given a bouquet of flowers following an Olympic event and Jayner gave his mother the bundle of green mums and hypericum berries.
"All along the way people were asking about (the flowers) and that's one of the wonderful things about the Olympics: It's a shared experience and people are proud of the excellence that these athletes have aspired to."
Jayner was to be present for the closing ceremonies Sunday in Vancouver and called the Games coming to a close bittersweet.
"The vibe of the team that I'm on has just been unbelievable. It's been really inspiring," Jayner said, noting his short-track teammate Ohno became the most decorated U.S. Winter Games athlete of all time.
The American team captured the most medals of any country at any Winter Games, with 37. While Canada didn't own the entire podium, the host nation set a new record for the most gold medals won at a Winter Games, with 14.
Saying he was proud of Canadian athletes' accomplishments, Jayner feels his own career is just beginning. In December, he won his first World Cup medal and enjoyed a top-10 world ranking in his sport.
He's looking forward to returning to his new home in Midland, Mich., before heading to Bulgaria next month with the national team for the short-track world championships.
"It's been a dream to be (in Vancouver) and to be able to perform at my best," he said. "It's what you dream of as a kid."[/img]