Medal Standings   Gold Silver Bronze Total USSR 49 41 35 125 East Germany 40 25 25 90 United States 34 35 25 94 West Germany 10 12 17 39 Japan 9 6 10 25 Poland 7 6 13 26 Bulgaria 6 9 7 22 Cuba 6 4 3 13 Romania 4 9 14 27 Hungary 5 4 13 22   Canada 0 5 6 11 CANADIAN MEDAL WINNERS Medal Event Greg Joy Silver High Jump John Wood Silver C-1 500 m Michel Vaillancourt Silver Equestrian - Individual Jump Cheryl Gibson Silver Swimming - 400 m IM Men's Team Silver Swimming - 4x100 m medley relay Nancy Garapick Bronze Swimming - 100 m backstroke Swimming - 200 m backstroke Shannon Smith Bronze Swimming - 400 m free Rebecca Smith Bronze Swimming - 400 m IM Women's Team Bronze Swimming - 4x100m freestyle relay Women's Team Bronze Swimming - 4x100m medley relay

Four years after losing the bid to Munich, Germany, the Olympics finally arrive in Canada. The 1976 Games were the dream of Montreal mayor Jean Drapeau. Without any financial guarantees from the federal governement - something unheard of these days - Drapeau convinced the Olympic establishment that Canada and Montreal were up for the challenge ahead of Los Angeles and Moscow, who were in the midst of a Cold War campaign.

With an unfinished stadium, two 15-year-olds - Sandra Henderson and Stephane Prefontaine - carried the torch into the infield to ignite the cauldron which officially opened the Games on July 17. Years later, the two were married.

A record number 414 athletes participate for Canada and Canadians come up with their best medal performance to date. The 11 medals won by Canadian athletes more than double the total of the previous two Olympic games. The five silver medals - highlighted by Greg Joy in the high jump competition - equal the total won by Canadian athletes in 1932. Nancy Garapick becomes the only double medalist for Canada, winning two bronze in the 100 metere and 200 metre backstroke.

Unfortunately, the Montreal Olympics also marked the first time that an athlete from the host nation failed to win a gold medal.

The Games were not without controversy. Twenty African nations decided to boycott the Olympics in protest of New Zealand's national rugby team touring South Africa which robbed the track and field competition of some of its best competitors.

Women's events were included for the first time in basketball, rowing and team handball.

The games were also the launching pad for 14-year-old gymnast Nadia Comaneci of Romania, who caused a sensation when, for her performance on the uneven bars, she was awarded the first-ever perfect score of 10.0. She eventually earned seven 10.0s.

On the men's side, Japan's Shun Fujimoto broke his leg while completing his floor exercises routine. The Japanese team was engaged in a close contest with the Soviet Union, so Fujimoto kept his injury secret. But when he dismounted from the rings, he dislocated his knee and was forced to withdraw.

Other individual stars included Klaus Dibiasi of Italy, who won his third straight gold medal in platform diving; Viktor Saneyev of Soviet Georgia, who won his third triple jump gold; and Irena Szewinska of Poland, winner of the 400m run, who brought her career total to seven medals - in five different events. Alberto Juantorena of Cuba put together the first 40m-800m double victory. Miklos Németh of Hungary won the javelin throw to become the first son of an athletics gold medalist to win a gold of his own. His father, Imre, had won the hammer throw in 1948. Clarence Hill of Bermuda earned a bronze medal in boxing’s super-heavyweight division to give Bermuda the honor of being the least populous nation ever to win a medal in the Summer Olympics.