Jennifer Heil

Jennifer Heil (born April 11, 1983) is a Canadian freestyle skier from Spruce Grove, Alberta.

Heil started skiing at age two.

Heil competed in her first Olympics at the 2002 Winter Olympics at the age of 18, finishing fourth in the moguls, just one-hundredth of a point out of a bronze medal.

She took the 2002–03 season off due to injury, and then won the World Cup in 2003–04, 2004–05 and 2005–06.

Jennifer Heil won the first gold medal for Canada in the 2006 Winter Olympics games in Turin, Italy and a silver medal at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, which was also Canada's first medal in those games.

Heil is the reigning world champion in dual moguls.

She has three world championship titles in total and two silver medals from the Worlds as well.

Over her career, Heil has won a record-tying five overall FIS World Cup Crystal Globe titles for freestyle skiing.

Heil is involved with several charitable organisations including Because I am a Girl and Right to Play.

Heil then won the first gold medal for Canada in the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy.

Giving Canada its first victory on the first full day of competition, Heil placed her title in the moguls event.

Following the Olympics, Heil completed the season by winning her fourth straight World Cup title.

Jennifer Heil took part in extensive experimental training in order to prepare for the Olympic Games.

She worked with one of Canada's leading sports psychologists, a strength trainer, and an athletic therapist daily.

After winning in 2006, Jennifer expressed her desire to build a program that would offer the same kind of support she got to other athletes in Canada.

JD Miller and her coach Dominick Gauthier helped her build B2ten who now raised about 3 million dollars and supports 20 athletes from 13 different sports.

Heil took the 2008 season off in order to help heal her injured knees.

Following that year, Heil had a very successful 2008–09 world cup season.

During the 2010 Winter Olympics, Heil donated $25,000 to Because I am a Girl.

Heil also speaks to students across Canada along a theme of Dare to Dream, and hosts an annual "girls only" mogul skiing camp.

B2ten, created with the help of Heil, is a privately run business model organisation with the intent of raising funds to support amateur Canadian athletes.

This included a silver medal during the stop at Cypress Mountain which was the site of the moguls competition for the 2010 Winter Olympics.

Going into the 2010 Olympics, Heil won the last 4 2009–10 Freestyle Skiing World Cup events that she entered.

She opted out of the last event before the games to give her fellow countrymen an opportunity to qualify for the games.

The women's moguls qualifications began in unfavourable weather conditions with rain, sleet, and slushy conditions on the course.

Heil finished the qualification in second place, meaning she ran second-to-last in the final.

In the final Heil had a successful and fast run which put her in first place with one skier yet to go.

Heil sat, watched, and waited as Hannah Kearney of the US had her final run.

Kearney finished first and displaced Heil for both the gold and as Olympic champion.

Heil was visibly distraught as many including herself expected her to win the gold medal.

Heil had gone into the event as the reigning Olympic champion and favourite not only to win the gold, but Canada's first gold medal during a Canadian hosted Olympics ever.

Heil's B2ten company was founded in part to win the first gold at home and assist fellow Canadians in their quest for medals.

The honour of winning the first home-soil Olympic gold medal would go to Alexandre Bilodeau the next day on Sunday, February 14.

Although Heil herself did not win it, Bilodeau's victory deserves some credit from Heil as he is a sponsored B2ten athlete as well.

The next day Heil was seen on television celebrating her silver medal.

She went on to say that she did not lose the gold but won the silver medal and was celebrating on stage at the medal ceremony.

According to CTV an average of about 6.6 million and a peak of 8 million Canadians tuned into their television to watch Heil try and break the gold medal slump.

More Canadians watched Heil try to win gold than the 6 million that had watched the New Orleans Saints win Super Bowl XLIV.

Following her 2010 Olympics silver medal win at the Cypress Mountain venue near Vancouver, Heil went on to say that this would likely be her last games.

Heil said that she wants to win a third world championship next year in 2011, following that she would like to get on with her post-mogul career.