Too bad golden glow from trampoline medal couldn’t shine brigther during Olympic Games

It's sad to say but Rosie MacLennan's gold medal in trampoline may be one of the most unrecognized in Canada Olympic history.

The only Canadian to win gold at the London Olympic Games was overshadowed by the captain of a soccer team that finished third and sprinter Jared Connaughton's gut-wrenching apology after costing his relay team a bronze medal.

Credit MacLennan with class. When the Canadian Olympic Committee decided to sway to public opinion and named Christine Sinclair the flag-bearer for the Games' closing ceremony, MacLennan sent a congratulatory message on Twitter.

[Slideshow: Canada's most memorable moments from London]

"Congrats @sincy12 for being selected as flag bearer!,'' she tweeted. "She led the women's soccer team to making history- what an athlete!!''

Not everyone agreed with the COC's decision. Shannon McKarney, an Ottawa writer and blogger, said Sinclair is amazing but MacLennan is amazing-er.

"We had one gold medal,'' McKarney told the Ottawa Citizen. "I think we should be honouring her and respecting her for that, as opposed to going for the big story, which is what I think they did here.''

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In many ways that was MacLennan's problem. Trampoline isn't a sport that catches the national attention. She won her medal at a time few people were up watching. Her victory made a small splash but the ripples faded into the large pool of Olympic coverage.

The women's soccer team grabbed the nation's attention with a heart-breaking, 4-3 loss to the United States in the semifinal. Sinclair scored three goals in a losing effort. There was bad refereeing. It was Canada against the U.S.. It was tragedy, intrigue, maybe even conspiracy.

Then the women scored a last-minute goal to beat France and win the bronze.

Redemption. Celebration. Even the prime minister was thrilled.

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How does a trampoline athlete compete against that?

No one can take the gold medal away from MacLennan. It will always be the highlight of her career.

She is only 23. She will compete in more Olympics. Hopefully she will win more medals and gain the fame and recognition she deserves.

More London Olympics coverage on Yahoo! Canada Sports:
• Photos: Looking ahead to Sochi 2012
• Video: Did London pass the test?
• London morphed into the Twitter Games