Newfoundland boy, 10, gives heartbroken Canadian relay team his Timbits soccer medal
Published on Wednesday August 15, 2012Share on twitterShare on facebook
Elijah Porter's letter to the Canadian 4x100 men's relay team.
3 of 5
Eddie Lee
Toronto Star
26 Comments
Denied an Olympic bronze medal through a surreal disqualification process, Canada’s men’s relay team is getting a replacement that may be more valuable.
That’s because this one comes from the heart.
After watching the devastating way the sprinters’ dreams were crushed in London, Elijah Porter felt compelled to lift their spirits.
So the 10-year-old wrote a letter that he hoped would “touch their hearts.” He then added the only medal he has ever won as a token of his unwavering support.
“When I heard what happened on Aug. 11, I knew it was wrong. The rules were not right. But at last I realized how good you were. We’re Canadians. We persevere,” wrote Porter.
“We create better lives for each other. The cold didn’t stop us from living in the North. We didn’t lose the War of 1812. We adapt and survive.”
And, “I hope you like the medal!”
Leave it to a boy from Paradise, Nfld., to capture the essence of sacrifice, humanity and the Canadian spirit.
Porter has and is home-schooled by his mom, Kim. He doesn’t write a lot of letters. But he composed this one himself, with an occasional spell check from mom.
And that medal? Won as a four-year-old, when he played Timbits soccer. It used to hang
https://www.thestar.com/sports/arti...-canadian-relay-team-his-timbits-soccer-medal
Elijah Porter's letter to the Canadian 4x100 men's relay team.
3 of 5
Eddie Lee
Toronto Star
26 Comments
Denied an Olympic bronze medal through a surreal disqualification process, Canada’s men’s relay team is getting a replacement that may be more valuable.
That’s because this one comes from the heart.
After watching the devastating way the sprinters’ dreams were crushed in London, Elijah Porter felt compelled to lift their spirits.
So the 10-year-old wrote a letter that he hoped would “touch their hearts.” He then added the only medal he has ever won as a token of his unwavering support.
“When I heard what happened on Aug. 11, I knew it was wrong. The rules were not right. But at last I realized how good you were. We’re Canadians. We persevere,” wrote Porter.
“We create better lives for each other. The cold didn’t stop us from living in the North. We didn’t lose the War of 1812. We adapt and survive.”
And, “I hope you like the medal!”
Leave it to a boy from Paradise, Nfld., to capture the essence of sacrifice, humanity and the Canadian spirit.
Porter has and is home-schooled by his mom, Kim. He doesn’t write a lot of letters. But he composed this one himself, with an occasional spell check from mom.
And that medal? Won as a four-year-old, when he played Timbits soccer. It used to hang
https://www.thestar.com/sports/arti...-canadian-relay-team-his-timbits-soccer-medal
