Long shot Olympic moments rising from the fog

As the fog that triggered a day of delays finally lifted atthe Laura Biathlon Centre, 30 of the best women in the sport stood at the starting line.

Canadian Megan Imrie was among them.

She wasn't supposed to be there. In fact, an hour and 35 minutes before the race, she was relaxing in her cabin with her teammates. They were painting Russian dolls.

• Event results: Biathlon

None of Canada's four women had competed well enough to qualify for the final individual event. The 12.5 km Mass Start is exclusive to the top 30 performers.

A Canadian had never been in this event before and, when the games started, the women had the goal of qualifying.

After missing the cut, it's safe to say that a fog both literally and metaphorically settled around the team.

While Canada's women were painting dolls, I was in the mountain village dealing with my own crisis.

There was an unreasonably long line at the souvenir shop. It was a 30 minute wait just to get in the store.

"What is this? A roller coaster ride at Disney World?"

Hugging furry rabbits and posing for photos with a person dressed in a giant glove (mascots are beyond bizarre aren't they?) was the only cure for my first-world problem.

So I made my way back up to the venue empty-handed in the souvenir department to cover a race I was pretty sure was going to be postponed due to fog and didn't have a Canadian in the field.

My enthusiasm level was a little low.

But, just around the same time I was on the phone talking to Daybreak with Mike Finnerty about how dangerous biathlon can in the fog, everything changed.

'Megan is racing! Megan is racing!'

Coach Mathias Ahrens was hustling to the women's cabin. He swung open the door.

"Megan is racing! Megan is racing!" he declared.

At the start of the day, Irmie was fourth on the reserve list for the race. The odds her getting in were beyond long but, in spite of that, here it was. This was her chance.

"I went from total relaxation to butterflies," Imire said.

And, in an almost poetic moment, as soon as I saw the news that she was in, the fog rapidly started to clear.

This race was going to happen. We were going to see the first Canadian participate in biathlon's premier event.

I asked Imrie after the race what she was thinking as she stood in the start gate right before she was going to make Olympic history.

"My team, our whole team, has the ability to be in the top 30, 100 per cent, she said.

If not for a couple bad races, they'd be right there beside me... I was representing our whole team. I'm happy to put our stamp on this race and show Canada belongs in this elite group."

In broadcasting, we plan to be there for the big moment.

We map out where to put resources so we can get the all the angles as history unfolds.

It's the same in sports. Athletes mentally and physically prepare for countless scenarios. But often, its simply impossible to prepare for some of most inspiring and lasting moments.

Imrie wasn't given any time to plan or even think about this race before she was in it.

• PROFILE: Megan Imrie

She had to spring into action, relying on the countless hours of training she put in and seize the opportunity.

Imrie is planning to retire this year, so she won't get to race in the Olympics again. But when the next Canadian women straps on her skis to race in the Mass Start, they will have Megan Imrie's experience to build on.

Thanks to Imrie, this event is no longer uncharted territory for Canada. The fog has lifted. The next women will have a clearer path to her goal.

And I can forget about the souvenir store. Who needs a trinket when I can take home the experience of seeing a moment like that?