Sports bring us all together and these Olympics were no different in uniting a nation and showing the world what Canada is made of: gold.

It was a golden moment for all Canadians throughout the Sochi Winter Olympics. Canada finished in the top three with 10 gold medals and an overall haul of 25 medals, proving that Canadians were just as successful in Sochi as we were in Vancouver just four years ago.

Many students watched these Games even with the nine-hour time difference between Ottawa and Sochi.

“I was up everyday at 5 a.m. watching the Olympics with my family,” said Sean Teav, a Carleton University student. “We only started watching them when it was here (Vancouver) four years ago, but it was such a great bonding experience that my family decided to make it a family tradition of sorts.”

Teav is not alone in this strange phenomenon of sports bringing people together. There are numerous YouTube videos available that show reactions of the women’s Canada-USA gold medal game. The excitement and overall emotion is testament to the effect hockey has on our nation. But what about all of the other sports at the games?

“It was women’s ski jumping for me because it was the first time it was included in the Winter Olympics,” said Merv Owen-Bley, a University of Ottawa student. “My girlfriend and a bunch of her friends wanted to watch it because it felt like it was a pretty historic moment, though we were only able to watch the replay later at night, it was a special moment nonetheless.”

Winning brings everyone together to support athletes and Canada didn’t disappoint in that regard.

Starting with Justine Dufour-Lapointe’s gold medal win in the Ladies’ Moguls Freestyle Skiing and capping off with the gold in Men’s Ice Hockey. Canada showed the world yet again that it is has become a dominant force in the Winter Olympic arena.

“It was absolutely amazing watching Charles Hamelin and Justine win gold medals,” said Hassan Hamza, a first-year computer programming student at Algonquin College. “My friends and I watched most of the Olympics during reading week but watching those first gold medals definitely made having to get up early to watch the other events a lot easier. Canada really showed what it could do on the world stage and it was pretty great being able to witness it.”

With 25 medals in Sochi, Canada was only one medal short of what they won back in 2010. But it was a strong showing for the nation and helped bring Canadians together once again.