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It was the most splendid of moments: the gold medalist standing atop the podium and crying to the strains of O Canada while her parents, two Vietnam refugees wearing Go Carol T-shirts, watched from the stands, the proudest of Canadians.

Carol Huynh broke the 24-karat barrier for the true north strong and free on Saturday by defeating a Japanese opponent she had wrestled before and never beaten. Her match in the 48-kilogram class at the stately China Agricultural University Gymnasium was decisive and powerful, both physically and emotionally. Her story was just as good.

Born in Canada to parents who fled their country only to land in Hazelton, B.C., Huynh grew up knowing the value of perseverance.

"They did everything," the 27-year-old said of her parents, who worked a variety of jobs (waitress, marketer, dock worker and sawmill worker) before retiring. "My dad did all kinds of odd jobs in Vietnam, sold little trinkets. I'm pretty sure I learned my work ethic from them."

Huynh took up wrestling in high school and discovered she had the aptitude and attitude to succeed. She competed internationally while attending Simon Fraser University. She tried to qualify for the Canadian Olympic team of 2004, but failed to make the cut.

Instead of quitting, Huynh dedicated herself to making it to Beijing. She moved to Calgary, trained with national women's coach Leigh Vierling and began working her way into contention. When she qualified for the Olympics, her parents made plans to be there, too.

"I am very proud of her," Huynh's father, Viem, told a Vancouver newspaper. "Her work so hard on the path. Now she make something here. Canada play larger part for her to make it. I'm very happy."

Asked whether being in China had made the experience even more special, Viem said: "I don't think about it because, you know, now I'm in Canada for almost 30 years. I'm a Canadian now."

Huynh's parents arrived in Canada in the late 1970s. Trinh, the mother, was born in Vietnam; Viem was born in China, but moved to Ho Chi Minh City when he was 3. The two met and married there and had two children before deciding to flee the country.

They were sponsored by the United Church in Hazelton and settled as one of the few Chinese families in the community of fewer than 400 people. Recently, the Huynhs sold their family business, the Bulkley Valley Motel, in part so they could come to China.

What they saw here from their daughter didn't disappoint them.

Huynh got stronger as her day-long event progressed. In the gold-medal match, she faced Chiharu Icho, the three-time world champion and silver medalist from the Athens Olympics in 2004.

Rather than waiting for Icho to attack, Huynh went after her rival, scoring a back-breaking three-point takedown in the opening round. When the second round also ended in her favour, Huynh was awarded the victory in convincing fashion.

"I knew I had to set the pace," she said. "I'd wrestled her three or four times [and lost]. When I took her out of bounds for three points, at that point I knew I had her. … I wrestled my way and it worked."

Soon after the Canadian anthem was played for Huynh, teammate Tonya Verbeek wrestled for the bronze medal in the 55-kg class. An Olympic veteran and silver medalist at Athens, Verbeek had to block out her emotions for Huynh and go to work.

She did it well enough to beat Ida-Theres Nerell of Sweden in two rounds.

"I used it for motivation," Verbeek said of Huynh's win.

There were others in Canada who felt the same watching Huynh win, her parents cheer and their daughter cry.