Family, friends back home glued to TV screens as Canadians win Olympic medals

The team, which came in as the defending world champion, delivered Canada's second gold medal of the Beijing Games.

"We're feeling really happy and we're really at peace now, because you're always a little bit nervous before it all takes place," said Gail Kreek, mother of rower Adam Kreek, 27, from her home in London, Ont., where Adam grew up.

"We're really proud of the boys for having worked so hard and having achieved their goal."

The lightweight women's double and the lightweight men's four each earned bronze, while swimmer Ryan Cochrane started the day with a third-place finish in the gruelling men's 1,500-metre freestyle race.

Gail Kreek said she and her husband have been "on the frontlines" following developments of the eights rowers on television and the Internet, along with the rest of the family, including Adam's two sisters and brother.

They were feeling "great anticipation" as the race started, she said, recalling an upset in Athens in 2004, when the crew placed fifth.

"When we saw that they started out in that first 500 metres, they had a good start - I think one of their best speeds - we were feeling, I think, pretty confident that they would be able to do it," Gail Kreek said.

Meanwhile in Belleville, Ont., the hometown of crew coxswain Brian Price, 32, members of his church clapped and cheered for the Olympian during the morning service.

"Our speaker got up and just praised Brian, we were all excited about it," said Cathie Price (no relation), who attends the Salvation Army Christian church.

"She was almost running on the spot, she was so excited."

Cathie Price, who leads a story for children during the service, said the theme was the Olympics and she presented two mock medals to Brian Price's two young nieces.

"We've been very much praying for him and his team," she said.

Angela Malcolm, the athlete's older sister, said their mother, who was watching from the stands in Beijing, called her just before the crew took the podium.

"She was yelling and they were all screaming in the background and they were having a great time and totally celebrating and taking it all in," she said.

She said as the crew pulled their boat up, she recalled the disappointment of Athens but remained confident.

"They were a much, much stronger boat this year, they're such a solid group and they're determined - that's all it takes."

The team won in five minutes 23.89 seconds. Britain took silver in 5:25.11, while the United States won bronze in 5:25.34.

The eight comprises Hamilton of Richmond, B.C., Kreek, Dominic Seiterle and Malcolm Howard of Victoria, Jake Wetzel of Saskatoon, Andrew Byrnes of Toronto, Ben Rutledge of Cranbrook, B.C., Kevin Light of Sidney, B.C., and Price of Belleville, Ont.

In Victoria, another group - including the mother of swimmer Cochrane - gathered around a big-screen TV erected at a local pool, biting their nails until his victory.

Donna Cochrane said the room exploded in jubilant screams and hollering when her son touched the wall to take the medal.

"(It was) very nerve-racking," she said.

"We know it's a lot of stress. . .and anything can happen. For him to hang on and have a little bit of kick left in there is just incredible."

Canada's medal drought finally ended Saturday, with wrestler Carol Huynh of Hazelton, B.C., taking gold in the 48-kilogram freestyle.

The reaction was delirious in Huynh's tiny hometown Hazelton, where Mayor Alice Maitland said they had to restrain the firemen from driving around town sounding their sirens.

"Everybody's just overjoyed. Nobody deserved it more than she," Maitland said.

"Carol is the winner and so then is the whole family and so are we as a community," she said.

That prize was followed by a torrent of more brass, with two more medals that day and four more Sunday.

Fellow British Columbians David Calder - from Victoria - and Scott Frandsen - from Kelowna - rowed to a silver in the men's pairs.

And Beamsville, Ont., Tonya Verbeek, won the bronze medal in the 55-kilogram category.

B.C. Premier Gordon Campbell congratulated the medal winners from his province.

"These talented athletes are reaching the podium and illustrating the strength and spirit of British Columbians who have dedicated their life to reaching the top of their sport," he said in a release.

"The fact that B.C. athletes have contributed to more than one-half of Canada's total medals so far is a source of pride for all British Columbians."

The lightweight men's fours rowing team included British Columbians Iain Brambell, of Brentwood Bay, and Mike Lewis, of Victoria, as well as Liam Parsons, of Thunder Bay, Ont., and Jon Beare, of Toronto.

Melanie Kok of St. Catharines, Ont., and Tracy Cameron of Shubenacadie, N.S., made up the lightweight women's double team.

"It's quite an honour to have an Olympian in the family," said Pearl Cameron, Tracy's mother.

About 50 family and community members gathered at Pearl's house to watch her daughter row at around 4 a.m. ET.

She said the bronze win was a big deal in the small community Shubenacadie.

"People are aware it's there now," she said.

"It's put (us) on the map."