Jon Montgomery
Encyclopedia
Jonathan Riley "Jon" Montgomery (born May 6, 1979 in Russell, Manitoba
) is a Canadian
skeleton racer
who has competed since 2006. He won the Gold Medal in the men's skeleton event
at the 2010 Winter Olympics
in Vancouver
.
where he worked as an auctioneer not far from Canada Olympic Park
in Calgary. Sometime in 2002 Montgomery visited the track with his parents where a skeleton race was being held. Montgomery was immediately hooked with the sport and started racing competitively not long after watching it in Calgary. Initially Jon Montgomery did not do well in his first two seasons competing on the World Cup tour. However, Montgomery won his first World Cup race in Cesana, Italy
in 2008. He won two silver medals at the 2008 FIBT World Championships
in Altenberg, Germany
, earning them in the men's skeleton and mixed bobsleigh bobsleigh-skeleton team event. Montgomery's highest World Cup overall placing came when he finished second overall in the 2007–08 Skeleton World Cup.
Montgomery qualified for the 2010 Winter Olympics
in Vancouver
based on his results in the 2009-10 Skeleton World Cup. In the Olympic event Montgomery had trailed Martins Dukurs
after the first run but established the fastest times the following two runs, including a track record 52.20 on his third run. In the fourth and final run on February 19, 2010, Montgomery still trailed Martins Dukurs by 0.18 seconds but Dukurs' was 0.25 seconds slower on his final run. Thus Montgomery won the gold medal by 0.07 seconds
. Montgomery celebrated exuberantly at first and quickly apologised to Dukurs for his celebration. Montgomery was quoted after the race, "I had said at the beginning of the race that if I was in that position and I did get gold coming from behind that I was going to remain stoic and respectful because you never want to cheer when somebody else loses. But I have to apologize to Martins. That didn't happen. I lost my mind when I saw the .07 come up. It was like I had stuck my finger in a light socket." He accepted his gold medal at the medal ceremony in Whistler on February 20, 2010. Montgomery became the second Canadian in a row to win gold in the men's event, after Duff Gibson
in 2006
, and the first Canadian to win a gold medal in Whistler at the Olympics.
Following his win, Montgomery marched through a crowd of Canadian fans singing the national anthem
and chugging a pitcher of beer
. In an interview with CTV, he stated that he has a tattoo of a maple leaf
over his heart with the word Canada above it which he got with his mother after he graduated from high school in grade 12. Montgomery stated that he hopes his gold medal performance inspires more people to enter amateur sports, and went on to reassure mothers that skeleton is a safe sport for children to enter. Jon Montgomery also said that he hopes his gold medal victory will help to establish an all-amateur sports channel for Canadian athletes.
Montgomery also wore an image of a painted turtle
on the crown of his helmet while racing and explained the usage, saying he had decided to do so after finding one trying to cross the road in British Columbia. BC Hydro noted his representation of the endangered (in coastal British Columbia) in describing their sponsorship of research into the turtle's conservation.
Montgomery looks up to fellow Russell native Theoren Fleury.
Russell, Manitoba
Russell is a town of 1,428 located in southwestern Manitoba, Canada, in the Rural Municipality of Russell. The town of Russell is located along Highway 16 and Highway 83, and is at the western terminus of Highway 45. Russell is approximately 15 km from the Saskatchewan border and 340 km...
) is a Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
skeleton racer
Skeleton (sport)
Skeleton is a fast winter sliding sport in which an individual person rides a small sled down a frozen track while lying face down, during which athletes experience forces up to 5g. It originated in St. Moritz, Switzerland as a spin-off from the popular British sport of Cresta Sledding...
who has competed since 2006. He won the Gold Medal in the men's skeleton event
Skeleton at the 2010 Winter Olympics – Men's
The men's skeleton event at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Canada took place at the Whistler Sliding Centre on 18-19 February. Canada's Duff Gibson was the defending Olympic champion. Gibson retired after the 2006 Olympics...
at the 2010 Winter Olympics
2010 Winter Olympics
The 2010 Winter Olympics, officially the XXI Olympic Winter Games or the 21st Winter Olympics, were a major international multi-sport event held from February 12–28, 2010, in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, with some events held in the suburbs of Richmond, West Vancouver and the University...
in Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
.
Career
Jon Montgomery started skeleton racing when he lived in CalgaryCalgary
Calgary is a city in the Province of Alberta, Canada. It is located in the south of the province, in an area of foothills and prairie, approximately east of the front ranges of the Canadian Rockies...
where he worked as an auctioneer not far from Canada Olympic Park
Canada Olympic Park
Canada Olympic Park is located in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The park is operated by WinSport Canada formerly the Calgary Olympic Development Association . It is currently used both for high performance athletic training and for recreational purposes by the general public...
in Calgary. Sometime in 2002 Montgomery visited the track with his parents where a skeleton race was being held. Montgomery was immediately hooked with the sport and started racing competitively not long after watching it in Calgary. Initially Jon Montgomery did not do well in his first two seasons competing on the World Cup tour. However, Montgomery won his first World Cup race in Cesana, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
in 2008. He won two silver medals at the 2008 FIBT World Championships
FIBT World Championships 2008
The FIBT World Championships 2008 ran February 11–24, 2008 in Altenberg, Germany for the fifth time, having done so in 1991 , 1994 , 1999 , and 2000 . It is the first time Altenberg has hosted all of the events at one championship...
in Altenberg, Germany
Altenberg, Germany
Altenberg is a town in the Sächsische Schweiz-Osterzgebirge district, in the Free State of Saxony, Germany. It is situated in the Ore Mountains, close to the border with the Czech Republic, 15 km northwest of Teplice, and 32 km south of Dresden....
, earning them in the men's skeleton and mixed bobsleigh bobsleigh-skeleton team event. Montgomery's highest World Cup overall placing came when he finished second overall in the 2007–08 Skeleton World Cup.
Montgomery qualified for the 2010 Winter Olympics
2010 Winter Olympics
The 2010 Winter Olympics, officially the XXI Olympic Winter Games or the 21st Winter Olympics, were a major international multi-sport event held from February 12–28, 2010, in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, with some events held in the suburbs of Richmond, West Vancouver and the University...
in Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
based on his results in the 2009-10 Skeleton World Cup. In the Olympic event Montgomery had trailed Martins Dukurs
Martins Dukurs
Martins Dukurs is a Latvian skeleton racer who has competed since 1998. He finished seventh in the men's skeleton event at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin and second at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver...
after the first run but established the fastest times the following two runs, including a track record 52.20 on his third run. In the fourth and final run on February 19, 2010, Montgomery still trailed Martins Dukurs by 0.18 seconds but Dukurs' was 0.25 seconds slower on his final run. Thus Montgomery won the gold medal by 0.07 seconds
Skeleton at the 2010 Winter Olympics – Men's
The men's skeleton event at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Canada took place at the Whistler Sliding Centre on 18-19 February. Canada's Duff Gibson was the defending Olympic champion. Gibson retired after the 2006 Olympics...
. Montgomery celebrated exuberantly at first and quickly apologised to Dukurs for his celebration. Montgomery was quoted after the race, "I had said at the beginning of the race that if I was in that position and I did get gold coming from behind that I was going to remain stoic and respectful because you never want to cheer when somebody else loses. But I have to apologize to Martins. That didn't happen. I lost my mind when I saw the .07 come up. It was like I had stuck my finger in a light socket." He accepted his gold medal at the medal ceremony in Whistler on February 20, 2010. Montgomery became the second Canadian in a row to win gold in the men's event, after Duff Gibson
Duff Gibson
Duff Gibson is a Canadian skeleton racer who competed from 1999 to 2006. He was born in Vaughan, Ontario. His father was born on December 13, 1937. At the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, He won the gold medal in the men's skeleton, narrowly beating out his teammate Jeff Pain...
in 2006
2006 Winter Olympics
The 2006 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XX Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in Turin, Italy from February 10, 2006, through February 26, 2006. This marked the second time Italy hosted the Olympic Winter Games, the first being the VII Olympic Winter...
, and the first Canadian to win a gold medal in Whistler at the Olympics.
Following his win, Montgomery marched through a crowd of Canadian fans singing the national anthem
O Canada
It has been noted that the opening theme of "O Canada" bears a strong resemblance to the "Marsch der Priester" , from the opera Die Zauberflöte , composed in 1791 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and that Lavallée's melody was inspired by Mozart's tune...
and chugging a pitcher of beer
Beer
Beer is the world's most widely consumed andprobably oldest alcoholic beverage; it is the third most popular drink overall, after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of sugars, mainly derived from malted cereal grains, most commonly malted barley and malted wheat...
. In an interview with CTV, he stated that he has a tattoo of a maple leaf
Maple leaf
The maple leaf is the characteristic leaf of the maple tree, and is the most widely recognized national symbol of Canada.-Use in Canada:At the beginning of the eighteenth century, the settlements of New France had attained a population of about 18,000...
over his heart with the word Canada above it which he got with his mother after he graduated from high school in grade 12. Montgomery stated that he hopes his gold medal performance inspires more people to enter amateur sports, and went on to reassure mothers that skeleton is a safe sport for children to enter. Jon Montgomery also said that he hopes his gold medal victory will help to establish an all-amateur sports channel for Canadian athletes.
Montgomery also wore an image of a painted turtle
Painted Turtle
The painted turtle is the most widespread native turtle of North America. It lives in slow-moving fresh waters, from southern Canada to Louisiana and northern Mexico, and from the Atlantic to the Pacific. The turtle is the only species of the genus Chrysemys, which is part of the pond turtle...
on the crown of his helmet while racing and explained the usage, saying he had decided to do so after finding one trying to cross the road in British Columbia. BC Hydro noted his representation of the endangered (in coastal British Columbia) in describing their sponsorship of research into the turtle's conservation.
Personal
When not skeleton racing, Montgomery works as a sales consultant and automobile auctioneer in Calgary.Montgomery looks up to fellow Russell native Theoren Fleury.