CALGARY 鈥� Their story is part of Canada's Olympic Games lore.
Canadian speedskater Gilmore Junio vacated his spot in the men's 1,000 metres in the 2014 Olympic Games in Sochi, Russia, so his teammate Denny Morrison could race it.
Morrison handed over the silver medal he won to Junio at Calgary's Olympic Oval on Saturday, when a banner was raised honouring Morrison's career during World Cup racing there.
"I wanted to give my medal to Gilmore because our stories are so intertwined," Morrison said. "I thought it was an appropriate time, as my banner is literally being raised to the rafters forever.
"I couldn't have won a silver medal without what he did for me. Thank you is not enough."
Junio introduced Morrison during the ceremony, and Morrison stunned him by handing over the medal.
"I was really surprised," Junio said. "Denny has been one of my best friends for a long time, so to get this from him means a lot."
Morrison of Fort St. John, 小蓝视频, also won an Olympic bronze medal in the 1,500 metres in Sochi, team pursuit gold in Vancouver in 2010 and team pursuit silver in 2006 in Turin, Italy. He retired in 2020.
Calgary's Junio, a three-time Olympian, retired after the 2022 Winter Games in Beijing.
Morrison, 39, is a third-year medical student at the University of Alberta. He also announced Saturday a teammate award in Junio's name and a $2,500 bursary annually for the next decade for the recipient.
"Athletes who are on the podium, they got the medal, they got the prize money, they often get the sponsors," Morrison said.
"The teammate who helped them get there, who maybe did something for them to change their life or change their trajectory within the sport . . . this is to incentivize that sort of teamwork behaviour that Gil exemplifies.
"It'll be up to the athletes to nominate a teammate who they think deserves this award, because this teammate did something special, meaningful for them, that they felt had an impact on their career and perhaps on their life."
Morrison slipped and fell in the 1,000 metres during trials for the 2014 Winter Games and did not qualify for the distance. He'd finished fourth in the world championship the previous year.
After placing 10th in the men's 500 metres in Sochi, Junio was asked by coaches if he would give up his spot in the 1,000 for Morrison.
Junio obliged, and when Morrison delivered a silver medal, Junio gained folk-hero status back in Canada for his selflessness.
"Rarely do you dream about having the story that kind of transcends the medal," Junio said.
"It's crazy to think it's been 10-plus years since that fateful night in Sochi."
Morrison pondered cutting the medal in half to split with Junio, but wasn't sure he'd run afoul of the International Olympic Committee if he did that.
So he gave the whole medal, that has its share scratches and dings from school visits he and Junio have done together over the years, to his teammate.
"I'm saying I'm just going to hold onto it for him, and any time he wants to pick it up and have it, he can just swing by," Junio said
"We love sharing the story. If there's a legacy that Denny and I can leave, it's being great teammates that gave each other everything."
Morrison, a two-time world champion in the 1,500, retired tied with Gaetan Boucher for the most Olympic speedskating medals earned by a Canadian man with four.
Junio, 34, works for a human resources firm in Calgary.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 25, 2025.
Donna Spencer, The Canadian Press
