Hopefully high jump bronze medal will give lift to Canadian track team at London Olympics

It might be the injection of inspiration Canada's track athletes need at the London Olympic Games.

Derek Drouin's bronze medal in high jump Tuesday night also might be as good as it gets for Canada's track team.

After a couple of disappointing results the 22-year-old from Sarnia, Ont., produced some joy for Canadian track fans. His medal also comes after being told not that long ago that his high jumping career might be over because of an injury to his takeoff foot.

"I thought a medal was a realistic possibility,'' said Drouin, a former NCAA champion. "It was great to celebrate on the track with the Canadian flag signed by my community in Sarnia. Their support has been amazing. I can't wait to get my medal tomorrow night."

[Slideshow: Drouin soars to surprising bronze]

The Canadian track team's goal at the Olympics is three medals and six to eight top-eight finishes. Drouin's bronze is Canada's first track medal in London and helps compensate for two other medal hopefuls missing the podium.

Dylan Armstrong finished fifth in the shot put. Jessica Zelinka was seventh in the hepthalon and eighth in the 100-metre hurdles.

Canada won one track medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics when Priscilla Lopes-Schliep was third in the hurdles.

It's the first time since Greg Joy at the 1976 Montreal Olympics that a Canadian has stood on the high jump podium. Drouin celebrated by wrapping himself in a Canadian flag signed by a good chunk of his hometown.

It's going to be a crowded podium since Drouin finished in a three-way tie for third. He cleared 2.29 metres, the same height as Great Britain's Robert Grabarz and Qatar's Mutaz Essa Barshim.

[Slideshow: Canada on Day 11]

"I've seen two, but never three,'' Les Gramantik, the Canadian senior national program coach, told Postmedia. "That was just freaky.

"They'll have to manufacture a couple medals overnight, maybe photocopy them or something. I don't know how they do that. I'm sure they have some extra ones. I hope.''

Alex Gardiner, Athletics Canada's head coach, was also perplexed.

"Three bronze medals. I've never seen that,'' he said. " I don't know what they're going to do about flagpoles tomorrow. That should be interesting."

Russia's Ivan Ukhov won the gold with a leap of 2.38 metres. American Erik Kynard took silver by going over 2.33 metres.

Mike Mason of Nanoose Bay, B.C., almost snatched the bronze away from Drouin.

Mason, who had never gone higher than 2.31 metres, rattled the bar gently on his first attempt at 2.33. He landed, somersaulted, and was standing up on the mat when the bar finally fell. He came close again on his second attempt and missed on his third.

[Related: Tara Whitten just misses podium]

"I really thought it was going to stay on," said Drouin. "I wanted Mike to make it.''

It was a bittersweet moment for the soft-spoken Mason. He also cleared 2.29 metres but finished eighth after missing twice at that height before he had clearance.

"I'm really happy for Derek," he said. " I felt (my attempts) at .33 were pretty good.

"That's high jump for you. Felt pretty close. As I was landing I kind of saw the bar wiggling, and then it fell off."

Drouin's jumping days looked over when he suffered a catastrophic lisfranc injury to his foot last year. In a lisfranc injury one or all of the metatarsal bones are displaced. One doctor told him his career might be finished.

Drouin required two screws in his foot and months of arduous rehab.

"It's been a painful road getting back,'' he said.

The Olympics were Drouin's first senior meet as a national team member. He refused to look around the 80,000-seat Olympic Stadium until after the competition.

"I did a good job of getting out there and not noticing anything,'' he said. "I didn't notice how big the stadium actually was until I was doing my victory lap.

"Even now looking out at it, it's pretty big."

More Olympics coverage on Yahoo! Canada Sports:
• Photos: Hottest Olympic athletes
• Rosie MacLennan's remarkable journey
• Why Brent Hayden is quitting swimming
• Video: Is Ryan Lochte ready to become a sex symbol?