Fans and friends of Alexandra Duckworth piled into a Halifax theatre early Wednesday morning to watch the snowboarder from Nova Scotia compete at the Winter Olympics in Sochi.
“I have to say there was nervousness in her first run,” says Canadian Sport Centre Atlantic president Ken Bagnell. “The crowd was fairly quiet because everybody was rooting for her.”
The 24-year-old from Kingsburg, N.S. qualified for the women’s halfpipe semifinals with an opening-round score of 69.75 points to finish seventh. She was eliminated in the semifinal round after finishing 11th with 32.50 points.
Duckworth may not have made it to podium, but her hometown fans say they are proud of her Olympic debut.
“Your heart goes up into your throat when they’re going there,” said one fan.
“I mean, it’s always fantastic to watch Nova Scotia athletes,” said another.
Shortly after Duckworth’s qualifying runs and before the semi-finals, there was a funding announcement from the Canadian Sport Centre Atlantic that will benefit athletes like Duckworth.
“For each of the next three years, we’ll have an additional $100,000 support for those athletes,” says Bagnell.
The money will benefit athletes preparing for the 2016 Summer Games in Rio de Janeiro. A similar fund helped Atlantic athletes prepare for Sochi.
“This fund supported Alex to have summer training in New Zealand, in order so she could spend time in the snow to get ready for this Olympic year,” says Bagnell.
Although Duckworth won’t be leaving the games with a medal, she says she is grateful for the outpouring of support from her fans.
“Thank you Nova Scotia for all the love!....Go Canada!” tweeted Duckworth Wednesday afternoon.
With files from CTV Atlantic's Rick Grant
