VANCOUVER - Losing a hockey game to the United States was embarrassing enough. Now Canada is raising the white flag - giving up on its brash goal of winning the most medals at the Vancouver Games.
The United States remains on course for a historic medal haul, with a chance to take home the most hardware at the Winter Games for the first time in almost 80 years.
But Canada's Own the Podium program is in tatters. And a surprising, demoralizing loss to a young American team in men's ice hockey - a sport Canada invented - is only making the pain deeper.
"Woe Canada: U.S. sticks stake in our hearts," read the headline in Monday's Vancouver Sun.
"It was very disappointing," said George Assaf, a Vancouver firefighter who was wearing a Canada hockey jersey as he took photos of the Olympic cauldron Monday. "The Canadians didn't play up to their standards."
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The United States led the overall medal count after Monday with 25 - four more than Germany. The United States and Germany were tied for the most golds, seven each.
Canada had just five golds and 10 medals overall, a disappointment for a country that spent $117million over five years to give extra support to contending athletes and dominate the medals stand.
On Monday, they conceded defeat.
"We'd be living in a fool's paradise if we said we're going to catch the Americans and win," said Chris Rudge, chief executive of the Canadian Olympic Committee.
Temperatures soar
The sunshine over Whistler Olympic Park led to a slightly unusual dress code Monday for some of the cross-country skiing fans at the Vancouver Olympics.
With spring-like temperatures of about 50 degrees, some of the European fans ditched their regular thermal jackets and knitted hats in favor of something considerably more Mediterranean - short-sleeved shirts. Or, in some cases, no shirt at all.
Even a few skiers followed suit, with Frenchman Cyril Miranda competing in the men's team sprint final in a short-sleeved top.
Frost bites
• Cross-country skiier Ola Vigen Hattestad of Norway - the reigning world champion in the individual and team sprints, and winner of the last two World Cup sprint titles - pulled out of the gold medal race because of a sore throat.
